Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Luminous Glass and Wood House is a Jewel in Tokyo’s Valley

Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PDT

tokyo double circular ring house

Todoroki, Tokyo’s only valley, is the beautiful setting for the house called the Double Circular Ring. The house blends modern function and traditional materials in a kind of spectacular sight that blends in with its lush green surroundings.

double circular house lit from inside

staircase and kitchen

The interior of the home is free of walls other than those surrounding private areas like the bathrooms; a compartment-style kitchen also sits in the middle of the first floor. Designed by Fujiwalabo Architects, the home was meant to feel free and breezy. The anchoring visual structure in the home is the central staircase.

under stairs storage

storage corridor

The staircase maximizes the interior space of the home by doubling as storage. Drawers and shelves fill the space beneath the stairs; additional storage lines the walls of the home’s corridors.

light filled corridor

bathroom and exterior curtains

Glass walls make up nearly all of the home’s exterior. When lit from the inside, the home looks like a glittering jewel in the midst of this residential neighborhood. The residents have the option to pull interior curtains closed, blocking their daily activities from the eyes of passers-by and providing a sense of privacy and security.

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Undulating Wave-Like Desk Weaves Through Modern Office

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT

Superdesk 1

A white resin ribbon cuts a curving path through an office for a digital creative agency, seating all 125 employees and rising into occasional arches filled with storage niches. Finished in a gleaming gloss like a surfboard, the ‘Superdesk‘ eliminates the need for cubicles and creates semi-private spaces for meetings.

Superdesk 2

Superdesk 3

Designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects for New York City-based The Barbarian Group, the structure turns furniture into architecture, complete with roofs, dividing up a large warehouse-like space into smaller and more intimate sections.

Superdesk 4

The arches direct foot traffic through the space, while the continuous design creates a dialogue between different divisions of the company, an effect that architect Wilkinson describes as “making a village within a building.” Benches and additional tables are built into the rooms-within-rooms created in the areas where the white desk surface is raised.