ビッグファニチャー

ビッグファニチャー

西麻布のテナントビル地下階のプロジェクト。「ビッグファニチャー」は、その名の通り大きな家具である。床・壁・天井を持ち、人が入ることのできる大きさだが、キャスターがついているので家具と呼んでいる。普段の配置では、奥側の引戸を開けることで建物側に造り付けたデスクや収納と一体になり、合わせて六畳程の空間となる。上部へは階段踊り場からアクセスでき、そのままドライエリアへ抜ける動線となる。半分に分割して動かすことで、ゲストルームやギャラリーといった他の用途にも柔軟に対応する。

クライアントは、地下空間を自身の居室としてだけでなく、ゲストルーム・ギャラリー・災害時のシェルターとしても使えることを望んでいた。しかし無計画に増築されてきた中二階や小部屋によって、自由な使い方ができなくなっていた。そこで既存増築部をすべて解体し、一室空間の中で大きな家具を動かすことで、様々な用途に対応できるようにした。また、好きな位置に作品を飾って空間全体を演出できる壁面システム、大量の食料や防災用品を蓄える床下収納なども段階的に加えた。これらはビッグファニチャーとは対照的に、小さな単位が冗長に反復することで、建築的なスケールまで引き延ばされている。多岐にわたる要望に素直に応えていった結果、家具と建築のスケールを自然に行き来している。 

Big Furniture is, as its name suggests, a large piece of furniture. Although it has a floor, walls, and a ceiling and is large enough for a person to enter, it is considered furniture because it sits on casters. In its default configuration, opening the sliding door at the rear connects it with a built-in desk and storage on the building side, creating a space of approximately six tatami mats. Access to the upper level is provided from the stair landing, which also leads directly to the dry area outside. By dividing it into two halves and moving them apart, it can also accommodate other uses such as a guest room or gallery.

The client wanted the basement to function not only as a private living space, but also as a guest room, gallery, and emergency shelter. Over time, however, an assortment of mezzanines and small rooms had been added without an overall plan, limiting how the space could be used. All of these additions were removed, and the project was reorganized around the idea that a large piece of furniture could move freely within a single open room, allowing the space to support a variety of uses.

Additional elements were introduced gradually, including a wall system that allows artworks to be placed freely and the atmosphere of the room to be reconfigured, as well as underfloor storage for large quantities of food and emergency supplies. In contrast to the Big Furniture, these elements are extended to an architectural scale through the repetitive accumulation of small units.

Responding directly to the client’s diverse requirements ultimately led to a design that moves naturally between the scales of furniture and architecture.

Design: GHOST FURNITURE, TGA Architects & Partners

Construction: GHOST FURNITURE

Photography: Masato Chiba