COS Tokio
Schloss Aoyama
November 2014
390 sqm
The building is called Schloss Aoyama (Aoyama Castle), and its particular architecture is due to the owners’ connection with Germany. During a trip to the country they fell in love with its castles and they wanted to bring that European flavour to Japan. The result is a postmodern building that, with its arched windows and red brickwork, seems to be taken straight from a Miyazaki film.
In contrast with the facade, the interior was built with concrete floors, exposed installations and reinforced glass. The concrete structure was left exposed as well.
To link spaces, ground and first floor are connected by a void, hosting the main stairs. This allows for long visuals in the small space
All images courtesy of COS
Backyard
At the back of the store is a backyard. The space was very run down mostly being used as the smoking area. The architecture of the place matches the rest of the building. To fresh up this area, I cleared the space as much as possible, creating a round seating area. The canopy was restored and the remaining corners filled with plants.
The main existing green element was ivy, so I covered parts of the walls with it. The rest of the greenery are existing trees and a selection of local crops. At night the garden becomes an intimate space with lights dotting the greenery and light spots to illuminate the sitting areas.
The garden is visible from inside the store and used by the staff members and able to use for in store events.
The main existing green element was ivy, so I covered parts of the walls with it. The rest of the greenery are existing trees and a selection of local crops. At night the garden becomes an intimate space with lights dotting the greenery and light spots to illuminate the sitting areas.
The garden is visible from inside the store and used by the staff members and able to use for in store events.
