” When the scaffolding was taken down from Airspace Tokyo, the usually quiet Kitamoagome residential neighbourhood found itself with a bold new façade. Designed by San Francisco-based architect Thom Faulders and developed in collaboration with digital technologist Sean Ahlquist of proces2, Airspace Tokyo appears to be covered with layer upon layer of artificial vegetation
Inspired by the abundant greenery that previously occupied the site, the screen façade comprises four different overlapping organic patterns. With an air gap of 15cm in-between, the 3mm-thick curtain-like coverings of laser-cut aluminium and plastic composite, frame views and light according to the internal floorplan. The thickness of the screen is visually enlarged by the effect of the compressed patterns, making the screen a dynamic buffer of shadows and oddly framed views.
The screen was commissioned by Hajime Masubuchi of Studio M, the architect responsible for the four-storey multi-function building. Containing a series of studios, or ‘air spaces’ as blank as a clean sheet of white paper, the structure’s naturally lit spaces are intended for professional photo shoots. However, the minimalist white rooms, complete with their own kitchen and bathrooms, can easily be used for other events, like cookery classes, aerobics lessons, or band practice, rented by the hour over the Internet.‘I just wanted to design a very airy space that anybody would be able to use’, Masubuchi says. Swathed with Faulder and Ahlquist’s extravagant screen, this ultra flexible building is a welcome urban addition.
