Werehouse / Storehouse 

2023.10

所在地 : 神奈川県川崎市

用途 : 店舗＋倉庫

構造 : 木造

敷地面積 : 270.0＋388.61m2

延床面積 : 25.03+77.25m2

施工 : みらいテクノハウス

photo / Koichi Torimura

「Warehouses : creation and transformation」

The plot is situated in the garden city of Miyamae in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. 

Here, the existing buildings_a traditional family house and an agricultural warehouse_ are bordering vegetable gardens and agricultural lands, giving a rare impression of a untouched postwar bubble within the ever developing urban fabric of the greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area. 

This nostalgic atmosphere and feel is the beginning point as well as the underlying idea of our project. 

The program is the refurbishment of the former agricultural warehouse into a restaurant and the creation of a new warehouse housing the transformation and stocks of the locally produced vegetables and fruits. 

In order to understand as well as reveal this strong context, we found old pictures and plans of the plot and decided to take them as a reference :  trees were transplanted into their  former places, old limon bridge stones were reused in order to form pathways and steps. 

Transformation of a Kura

The agricultural warehouse has remained untouched since the end of the Edo period. To respect this important historical context, we decided to carefully restore it by using the same traditional materials for the façade and imposing doors. Inside,  in order to house the restaurant, we dismantled the second story’s flooring so as to create a light well that would enhance both volume and light, displaying the beautiful wooden skeleton’s structure. The dismantled wooden flooring was later refurbished and used as a cladding material for the inside peripheral walls.The wall facing the counter is cladded with locally grown cedar. The overall feeling is as if we were standing into a very old tree trunk, giving a sense of warmth and safety. 

Creation of a Kura

In order to create a continuity between the old and new, the created building is placed right beside the former warehouse and its height and overall section are the same. For its roof, we used hammered copper sheets in order to bring light and reflections of the garden’s trees and plants. These sheets were designed in close collaboration with the clients, and were hammered during a workshop gathering all the local community on a hot summer day. We like to think that this copper roof as well as the outside facade design create a dialogue with the greater context. Overall, this building is “new but doesn’t feel so” in order to blend with its environment. 

In addition, a small tea room was attached to the Kura with a 45 degree angle, offering the best possible view of the garden.