ANT/RIBBON HOUSE
New typologies for urban dwelling

Designed by: Audun Hellemo

The site for the project is set between to different ribbons of the city, the street (at c0) and the existing metropolitan highway (c+10, c+14 and c+19). The highway is thought as a new green walkway - a green ribbon throughout the city centre of Nihonbashi. In between four new ribbons are introduced - one for living areas next to both the street and the new green highway to ensure daylight access, and two wet core ribbons between the to living ribbons - for wet rooms such as bathroom and kitchen. From these ribbons, generous semi-public space is dug out, a spatial network connecting the 4 ribbons of the project, as well as connecting to the 2 already existing. In a country where the collective idea stands strong, it's a paradox that so few choose to share their living space. In this project the private apartments are fairly small, and the shared space, such as the manga stair library, kitchen and dining space, office/study space, cinema, washingroom, gallery and workshop, answer to the urban needs of space that is between the complete public and the complete private. The different shared spaces are all different, either because of their spatial character, their program or their situation in the circulation system. Some are intensive, dynamic and crosspoints of circulation, others are quiet dead ends. In the same way, the different apartments get their character or typology more by their placement in the whole complex rather than the sheer size of the apartment itself. On the roof, the semi-public space meets the complete public, as it blends with a community facility situated on the top of the project with access from the public highway.

Teacher's comment:
Namba-sensei: "Exciting idea, but what about the construction?"