Zoom Yokohama Kannai
This residence sits on a corner site close from Yokohama Kannai Station. It consists of 94 studio flats, with their floor areas ranging between 22m2 to 47m2; which are suitable for single dwellers or young couples without children.

The vertical concrete panels have been added to the facade randomly, concealing the small units behind them. Panels, thin as they are, are unobtrusive, befitting the scale of the individual units. The depth of panels vary between 200mm to 900mm, with some functioning as brise-soleil and some as dividing walls between different units, whilst others are more decorative, framing views of the city.

The Japanese residence blocks tend to look very similar due to the requirement of the balconies on the facade. We took extra care to make sure that the boilers and air-conditioning units placed outside on the balconies as discreetly tucked away as possible.

When you look at the entire building from the front elevation, these concrete fins appear as sharp as a Samurai’s sword cutting through the air. However, viewing from the side, you can begin to appreciate the texture of the concrete, which changes its appearance with the intensity of the light.

The concrete fins on the facade are made with Hybrid Prestressed Concrete. By using enmeshed carbon cables instead of the usual steel rods to reinforce concrete and by adding polypropylene fibre to strengthen the mixture, the panels can be made as thin as 40mm.

Facade designs tend to reflect the interior structures but we wanted to experiment and play against such a norm so that the new building resonated with the post-war buildings in the area. The individual flats feel more open and connected with the outside world through these thin concrete panels, retaining a sense of scale that is both human and urban.