DESA1002 'Continuous City' Jacqueline Ho

Abstract

Tokyo is a city that is unique. It possesses a culture where the traditional and the modern stand side by side, accentuating one another. My design for an Izakaya and a Karaoke Bar represents this characteristic of Tokyo city. The traditional, seen in the Japanese Izakaya restaurant is expressed through the function of the building as well as the inclusion of traditional Japanese design elements - low rise, a pitched roof and the use of timber as the primary material for the structure and cladding. On the other hand, the Karaoke Bar which stands next to it is nothing but traditional. The seven-storey Karaoke Bar expresses the fun and playful nature of its function through colourful pods and open balconies that house its singing occupants. The structural components of the building include a concrete load bearing wall located at the rear which acts as the back bone to the structure, whilst a metal frame with fiberglass tubes house the karaoke pods at the front of the building. People walking along the street will be able to look up and see the fun and excitement occurring inside the pods. What combines these two buildings is a single entry way that is nestled in between them. This black box has its own identity as it does not try to incorporate characteristics of either one of its neighbouring buildings.