Ryuichi Sasaki Architecture Completes Shin Nakano Trapezoidal Concrete Housing in Tokyo

Key facts

• Ryuichi Sasaki Architecture has completed Shin Nakano Trapezoidal, a five-storey concrete condominium block in Tokyo.
• The block contains 11 residential units and was designed for local developer Real Partners.
• Trapezoidal motifs throughout the design were informed by the project's location on the Musashino Plateau in western Tokyo.
• The eastern edge features a sheltered entrance with tall trapezoidal concrete columns and trapezoidal floor tiles.
• A large sliding metal door leads to a lobby and stairwell with an industrial steel staircase with grille treads.
• The lobby divides the block into three wings, with single-storey and duplex units extending into a basement and rooftop terrace.
• Apartments have views of a street to the south and a park to the north, with large metal-framed sliding windows for cross-ventilation.
• Interiors are minimal with timber floors, exposed concrete ceilings, white-painted walls, and built-in storage.
• The trapezoidal motif appears in interior wall and floor openings, staircase balustrades, and some room floor plans.
• Externally, exposed concrete features textured trapezoidal and triangular panels created by embossing after pouring.
• Principal architect Ryuichi Sasaki said the motif had to work at every moment of a building experienced in fragments.
• Previous Ryuichi Sasaki Architecture projects include a mixed-use development with homes and a community performance space in Tokyo.
• Elsewhere in Tokyo, Kenta Hirayama created the steel-clad House in Kinuta, and Kenta Sano & Associates combined a glass-fronted dance studio with a house.
• The photography is by Takumi Ota Photography.