The Judges Awards

05.2 Okurayama Apartments, Japan, by Kazuyo Sejima & Associates

Like an elusive, albeit oversized, piece of a jigsaw puzzle, Kazuyo Sejima's residential project is hidden at the heart of Yokohama. One half of renowned Tokyo-based architecture firm SANAA, Sejima designed this slinky apartment block under her Kazuyo Sejima & Associates guise. Bucking the trend for herding tenants into cell-like flats, she has afforded each apartment its own character, using the curvature of each section to create unexpected spatial permutations. Despite the playful agenda, the abstracted spaces are practical, with at least two straight walls each for ease of decoration. The curvy structure allows for airy courtyards, light-filled terraces and patches of greenery, giving the block a sense of both privacy and community.

Location: Yokohama
Architect's previous work: Onishi Civic Centre, Gunma, 2005; House in a Plum Grove, Tokyo, 2003; Asahi Shimbun Yamagata Office Building, Yamagata, 2002

View images of the house
www.sanaa.co.jp

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