“What art does — maybe what it does most completely — is tell us, make us feel that what we think we know, we don’t. There are whole worlds around us that we’ve never glimpsed.” Greil Marcus — Monday April 14th — —

The idea is to die young as late as possible. — Ashley Montagu — Monday April 14th — —

I love listening. It is one of the only spaces where you can be still and moved at the same time. — Nayyirah Waheed — Monday April 14th — —

Hut on the Corridor

The latest work by Japanese architect Tsubasa Iwahashi is truly extraordinary. For the project named ‘Hut on the Corridor’ Iwahashi, who previously created the beautiful Folm Arts beauty salon in the Osaka prefecture, was asked to renovate the corridor of eleven office units on one floor of a building in Osaka’s Nishi-ku district. This resulted in a garden-inspired project, in which the architect and his team created a common area where employees can take a time out from their work. The centerpiece of the concept is a wooden hut in the middle of the space, which can be used as a meeting area or a quiet relaxation zone. The hut has only three walls with people stepping inside by walking around to its rear, it has no windows, but a large skylight which ensures enough enlightenment in the area without opening up the space for by-passers. There is a small peephole in one corner of the hut, revealing the feet of anyone walking by, giving the people in the hut total peace and privacy without being totally cut off.

Next to the design of the hut, domestic-style windows were also added between the corridors and the office units. Each one features a boxy wooden frame, where plants and other items can be displayed. The garden aesthetic is emphasized by hanging baskets suspended from the ceiling. Signage is kept to a minimum. A simple floor plan is marked onto the walls of the hut to provide directions, while male and female toilets are symbolized by a pair of cartoon faces, always maintaining the overall serene aesthetic with even those cartoon faces not feeling like a caricature.

Tsubasa Iwahashi on ‘Hut on the Corridor’:

By going into the hut, taking off your shoes, communicating very different from how it takes place in the private rooms of the employees; creates new value, connections and ideas.

Photography by Takumi Ota.

For more information see here.