TOKYO.
«Tetchan”, a Yakitori (grilled skewered chicken) bar in Shimokitazawa, which is beloved among the younger generation, was relocated to a new site in the same area. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma designed this transformation last yerar. In converting the old wooden house to a Yakitori restaurant, their challenge was to preserve the unique atmosphere, a feeling of noise and particles or small objects that their former bar in front of the station possessed.
First, ready-made aluminum sashes were randomly attached to the exterior of the house. By assembling these off-the-shelf cheap aluminum sashes, they made a facade that amplified the noise emitted by “ordinary” wooden houses that had been covering entire cities in Japan. They’ve always felt that the aluminum sash was bad for the Japanese house, but looking at them now, the noise they generate is quite interesting.
Inside the house, they exposed all of the wooden structure and attached to the stairs old skis and snowboards shaped like a cloud – or perhaps a bunch of rubbish. The stairs create a dynamic “vortex” in the space that swirls with the enthusiasm and heat from the yakitori kitchen. 
Photos: Jimmy Cohrssen.
