Text description provided by the architects. The project is a two storey, 248.80 m2 floor areacommercial-lease building located in Tenjinbashi, the longest shopping strip in Osaka, Japan. This commercial area has its roots in the Edo Period, where it started developing as a business place for merchants. Commercial buildings in general last for only a few years. Looking to preserve the long-lasting commercial tradition of the area, this project was designed to last for at least 200 years.

In order to preserve the history of the site -where three row-houses used to exist- the project proposes a two story building with space for three tenants. The shape of the building looks to inherit the characteristics of the context, by tracing the roofline of the three row-houses that previously existed.

Proposed for 200 years, flexibility is a key point in this project. The interior planning sees an open layout, in addition to a deck slab with adjustable height that allows the space to be divided to the tenant’s layout needs. Considering future expansion, the exterior walls on the rooftop projected upward, so the building can easily grow by adding a new level.

Tenant Layout Options

The exterior high durability concrete wall, besides working as a firewall, is a medium to convey the characteristics of the surrounding land. The surface texture looks to simulate the ground layer formation, with a coarse texture applied by different treatments, eleven layers in total.

Surrounded by commercial facilities, this project is a long-lasting architecture that pays respect to the historical commercial area Tenjinbashi.

© Kaori Ichikawa

• Architects

  Ryuichi Ashizawa Architects & associates

• Location

  Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

• Category

  Commercial Architecture

• Architect in Charge

  Ryuichi Ashizawa

• Structural Engineer

  Hirokazu Toki, Shunya Takahashi

• Constructor

  Tenma builder

• Area

  248.8 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Kaori Ichikawa