Selected Architectural Designs 2005
Journal of Architecture and Building Science Architectural Institute of Japan
ANDON RYOKAN
2-34-10 Nihonzustumi Taito-ku Tokyo
IRIE Masayuki,IKEMURA Jun,IRIE Takayo
WASEDA UNIVERSITY DFI
Andon Ryokan, located in Minowa, is a great place to stay for backpackers from all over the world. The building is a five-storysteel-frame construction. The accommodation part is from the first to the third floor, and on the fourth and the fifth floor there is a jucuzzi; a temporary storage room for guests; and the owner's private residence.
When we commenced planning how to represent Japanese style in a steel structure, andon ( a traditional Japanese lantern ) simply came up in our mind. We carefully designed the mechanism that presents the bright light to the outside which is activated when the guests stay in the room and turn the lights on. Japanese traditional features like paper sliding doors and wood lattice are represented by fot point glazing with translucent glass, metal horizontal louvers, perforated metal and a combination of the panels.
The reception and lounge are on the first floor where guests are able to have meals in a traditional Japanese atmosphere: the kitchen with the appearance of a dirt floor and the wooden floor of the lounge. We hope this ryokan is a lively space where foreign guests can communicate with each other while preparing their meals, and we hope that this leads to Japan becoming more open and accessible to international visitors.
Juror's comment ... AZUMA Rie
This inn, with its beautiful glass screen fazard is in the Minowa, Nihonzutumi area where old-style building combining a workshop or shop with residence are found together with modern concrete buildings. An accommodation facility for back-packers, it operates based on a policy of providing overseas travelers with no more than necessary, as it satisfires their need for a base in Tokyo. Practical planning is adopted, for example, the rooms are only seven squre meters in size, just complying with hotel regulations, while the bathroom areas are kept to a minimum in terms of size and number. However, despite such minumum space, close attention is given to detail which succeeds in transforming the simple interior materials to sensitive design elements, while low positioned lighting fixtures and indirect lighting on the ceiling contribute a Japanese atmosphere to the space. The simple yet well-calculated design represents a new direction for Japanese Inns.
Architect:Irie Masayuki
Professor of Graduate Architecture Research Department, Science and Engineering, Waseda University
Masayuki Irie Official Site (Japanese)
Shinkenchiku WebSite
The Concept of Design
1. New Urban Accommodation
Created for the design-minded, independent traveler on a budget, Andon Ryokan is like no other hotel in Tokyo. The hotel owners, Toshiko Kiyama, has focused their efforts on attracting and providing for the needs of foreign visitors. For example, all the staff speak English and are well traveled within Japan so are ready to assist guests with their travel queries.
The ryokan's location, close to Ueno and Asakusa, and its historical background are of great interest to overseas visitors. The spirit of old Edo - the ancient name for Tokyo- survives here in the many traditional Tokyo craft shops, temples, shrines and neighborhood restaurants. Should the visitor wish to see the contemporary side of the city, they need only go to the closest subway station: Minowa is on the Hibiya line, the route heading directly to the shopping and entertainment districts of Ginza, Roppongi, Hiro-o and Ebisu.
At the ryokan, guests are assured of obtaining the best space available for their budget and of meeting people of a similar outlook from all over the world. Rooms are about 7 sq meters and designed one or two persons - just enough space for their baggage and themselves, but a foothold from which to explore the city. Although the room design incorporates traditional Japanese elements, the feel is also ultra modern.
2. A Look at the Japanese Design
"The building is a five-story steel-frame construction. The guests rooms are from the first to the third floor, and on the fourth and the fifth floor there is a Jacuzzi; a temporary storage room for guests; and the owner's private residence.
When I began planning how to represent Japanese style in a steel structure, andon (a traditional Japanese lantern) simply came up in my mind. I carefully designed the mechanism that presents the bright light to the outside which is activated when the guests stay in the room and turn the lights on. Japanese traditional features like paper sliding doors and wood lattice are represented by dot point glazing with translucent glass, metal horizontal louvers, perforated metal and a combination of materials for the panels.
In contrast the interior lighting is muted to mimic the texture of the wooden part of a typical old house's black luster; for this reason the light is directed towards the floor. I hope to create the effect of candles gleaming in the dark spreading slowly out across each surface and texture - just as they might in an old Japanese house. The light creates the illusion of traditional cloth with a pattern of diagonal stripes.
The reception and lounge are on the first floor where guests are able to have meals in a traditional Japanese atmosphere: the kitchen with the appearance of a dirt floor and the wooden floor of the lounge. I hope this ryokan is a lively space where foreign guests can communicate with each other while preparing their meals, and I hope that this leads to Japan becoming more open and accessible to international visitors."