Sumida,Tokyo,Japan
This is a community exchange center in front of Hikifune Station on the Tobu Skytree Line in Sumida-ku, Tokyo. The first floor of a warehouse with a plaza in front was renovated to create a community living room (shared café and co-working space) as a place to practice placemaking (public space to be used and created together with local residents).
Waterways have lined the area around the site since the Edo period (1603-1867), and have functioned as valuable common social capital that fostered industry and community. Even today, when the land has been reclaimed by urbanization, the waterway still appears as a watershed for the community. The Hikifune River, depicted by Hiroshige Utagawa in his “Meisho Edo hyakkei: Yotsugi yori mizuhikifune” (One hundred Famous Views of Edo), is one such example. The dynamic meandering river adds depth to the small ukiyoe picture, making the small boat on the narrow river surface and the people pulling it from the bank even more chic and attractive.
As a reference to the Hikifune River, a series of slabs surround the interior and exterior of the building. The tops, which hold a hint of the river, become benches in some places, desks in others, and counters in others, supporting a variety of people’s activities. The uneven ground has been left as it is and painted to straddle the indoor and outdoor areas. The wall facing the plaza was partially removed and a 10-meter wide, 2.6-meter high opening was created to allow for the integrated use of the indoor space and the plaza in front of it.
