Xchange Apartments by TANK

29/07/2016. [KYOTO] Japan

In an attempt to integrate this architecture into the Japanese cultural framework in which it is inserted, an apartment-guesthouse that could well be considered as piece of art emerges. The sores once openedthe mortar floor glow now in a golden network, a constructive interpretation of "kintsugi".

Xchange Apartments by TANK, floor detail. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, floor detail. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, interior view. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, view of the access to the wet areas. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, floor detail. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, interior view of the access to the wet areas. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, floor detail. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, interior view of the sleeping area. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, floor detail. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, interior view. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Xchange Apartments by TANK, floor detail at the corner. Photograph © Kenta Hasegawa.

Floor plan. Xchange Apartments by TANK.

Cross section. Xchange Apartments by TANK.

Longitudinal section. Xchange Apartments by TANK.

Minimal and neat in its floor plan solution, Xchange Apartments by TANK is characterized by it's careful attention to detail. Starting with those golden cracks that give a second artistic life to the floor, the brightness continues at the doors to acess the wet areas, with interesting reflections that report some air of abstraction. Intended for temporary accommodation of artists, the project maintains a necessary neutrality whose only resources are precisely those minimal decisions, yet full of poetic.

Descripción del proyecto por TANK

The apartment is located nearby Kiyomizu-Temple, and has excellent views of the five sacred mountains of Kyoto. Our plan was to transform a typical (drab) Japanese condominium into a guesthouse where artists and creators can pursue their creative activities and enjoy living as well. We also tried to integrate traditional Japanese techniques normally not used in construction into the design.
In traditional Japanese lacquerware “Urushi-Nuri”, the technique calls for lacquer resin impregnated jute fabric reinforcement of the wooden base, forming a rigid composite structure beneath the polished upper coat.

This composite technique is alike to FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) layering, so we chose FRP using translucent resin for the washroom floor to mimic this method. The translucent resin is polished to reveal the underlying glass-fiber layers over the wooden base, resulting in a translucent, yet complex visual texture while achieving material strength and waterproofing needed for the location.

The Japanese have traditionally repaired broken ceramics by gluing fragments together with Japanese lacquer and gilding the seams with gold powder to enjoy the beauty of imperfection as “Kintsugi”, literally meaning “to join with gold”. In construction, traditional plastered mortar cracks when it sets. This cracking is usually deemed as inferior work, and current improved mortar seldom cracks. We noticed that this cracking resembles broken ceramics. Using traditional mortar, we emulated the art of “Kintsugi” in the living room by joining the cracks with gold coloured epoxy- resin, thus transforming what was considered imperfect into a subject of beauty.

The mirrored bathroom doors double as a changing room when opened. The highly polished metal surfaces reflect the room interior and surrounding scenery producing a kaleidoscopic effect.

At a glance, each element may be simple, but as a whole serves an intuitive and creative atmosphere for the creative resident.