The Intervention.
THE RED LIGHT
AXON
Our design is the manifestation of compartmentalization. Each room within the building is pushed and pulled to create extrusions in the street, which invoke a disruption to those walking on the street.
Our design exposes the businesses that were once hidden, now forcing the passersby to acknowledge and walk around the red-light businesses.
The exterior extrusions create interior voids, which brings a new definition to the entertainment reputation Kabukicho has become known for. We wanted to create compartments that allow enough space for the entertainer and a guest.
EXPLODED
AXON
Our design exploits the interactions that people would have as they navigate through the building. We have designed a plan that encourages people to face their loneliness - exposing the feeling within themselves, in addition to experiencing the feeling in others.
The building consists of four businesses - three of which are dedicated to adult entertainment, and at the top is a family restaurant. The first level is lined with reflective glass that encourages you to see yourself as you enter the building. The second floor features translucent glass, not divulging a full image, but instead a blurred version of the activity happening inside. As you reach the third and fourth floor, the transparent glass provides full insight into what’s happening.
We strategically placed the restaurant on the fourth floor to encourage gathering, which offsets the loneliness experienced in the businesses below.
Level
Translucency
The plan is designed to address ‘hidden and private’ on the lowest level, and public and exposed at the top. As you ascend from the first to fourth floor, you gain clarity.
A mixture of glass and reflective materials are, again, strategically placed within the interior to blur the line between public and private experiences. All red-light businesses are designed with red materials.
The Love Hotel is reflective because hotel rooms are meant to be private experiences - so the people around cannot see in.
On the second floor, the massage parlor is translucent because massage parlors are both public and private; public in the sense that it allows you to see in, but private because customer identity is not revealed.
The third floor is transparent, because it is a strip club - strip clubs are meant to be public.
While the restaurant on the fourth floor is surrounded in transparent glass as well, it is not tinted in red, because it is not a red-light activity.
Circulation
The next area of focus in our design is the path of circulation. We intentionally designed this path to guide the occupant to walk from front to back as they ascend up and down the building, taking them on a journey from literal self-reflection to personal clarity. The path forces the occupant to see all the businesses as they walk throughout the building, enhancing their journey of awareness.
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Section
The floors form connections between people as well. We wanted to give them an experience to remind them that no matter where they are in the building, they are never alone. They cannot escape the fact that they seek out personal connection, rather than simply facing their loneliness.
What could you see as you walk throughout the building? What is it like walking past the family going to the restaurant or the man in search of an adult massage? All the while, you are exposed to the no longer hidden attributes of the building.
The things we see and experiences we have, shape our lives -
what could a building design like this change?
