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Description

The Katayama Building is a small apartment block built on a site of 110m², comprised by 7 stories, 2 apartments per floor and a total of 10 apartments. On the north side, a flat plan, are located the elevator, stairs and the passage with. Part of the building is occupied by a high-ceiling; covering 2 floors with an arrangement similar to stacked blocks. The inner layout is apparent when viewed from the south façade. The structure is also reflected on the façade’s outline.
The lifestyle inside the apartment is itself designed by the façade, reflecting the intention to let the vitality of life spread out into the landscape of Katayama, with its homogenous rows of houses. The external finishing employs a distinct black and white color, chosen to show the strong presence of a simple box against the surrounding dull buildings of beige, grey or brick shades.
To achieve this façade design, several restrictions due to evacuation plans had to be overcome. Various patterns were tested trying to keep up with the balcony standards for emergency evacuation, ultimately leading to the final solution.
Variation to the cross-section design resulted from the business strategy of the property owner, in an effort of bringing additional value to a building placed on a very competitive and expensive lease market. Complying with the legal height restrictions, integrating high ceiling, 3 apartment typologies and distinguished material finishing, a combination of 10 patterns was conceived, creating a building with efficient spaces both diverse and economic, a set of characteristics contributing for a permanent no vacancies status.

Biography

Mitsutomo Matsunami was born in Osaka, in 1977.
He graduated at the Kinki University in 2000 and established his own architectural studio in 2005.
In 2008 he received the special prize from the Residential Lighting Awards of 2007. He also received the JCD design award in 2008, the BEST100, the Good Design Award and the Grand Prize in 2007.