Wooden screen facade for Japanese hotel
Japan-based Kengo Kuma & Associates has designed the One@Tokyo, which was to construct a hotel that reflects its rough but approachable quality.
Cement panels with a wooden screen constitute the façade, symbolizing the former small factories in Oshiage. The use of natural wood with an industrial theme retains an element of the bygone Edo era while exemplifying downtown Tokyo. Spread over 10 storeys, the 142 guest rooms have the same minimalistic design with industrial materials such as structural plywood and an exposed ceiling. The hotel lobby and corridor are accessed through a wooden screen at ground level.
The rooms range from minimalistic studios to lofts on the upper levels that feature natural wood walls, square metal showers and sinks lit up with angular lighting. The Library Suite on the 10th floor has a wall dedicated to design and art books with an iMac device. On the next door, the Atelier Suite has angular dark wood panels with a large table and a 100 cm TV screen, ideal for art-lovers. They are the only suites with bathtubs, which are white enamel-coated cast-iron structures. The plant-filled rooftop opens up to magnificent views of Tokyo’s Skytree, an iconic broadcasting and observation tower.
