Motoyasu Muramatsu Architects

This building, which houses an obstetrics and gynaecology clinic, faces Ring Road No. 8 in Tokyo, and a footbridge spanning the road is situated close to the site.
The building takes the form of a semi-cylindrical cylinder constructed from thick concrete, creating an abstract and powerful expression. Natural light streams into the consultation rooms and waiting area in the basement through skylights encircling the cylinder, creating a calm and bright space. A courtyard is situated at the centre of the second and third floors, which serve as residential quarters, delivering soft light to the main rooms. Furthermore, through the glass blocks and slits regularly dotted across the exterior walls of the cylinder, flickering light and strong, linear light continuously impart a fresh character to the interior spaces as the sun moves across the sky. Additionally, light passing through the prism glass in the courtyard creates a serene, underwater-like atmosphere in the hall below. The aim of the project was to create a building that, in response to the adverse external environment characterised by noise, vibration and exhaust fumes, uses the power of the ever-changing sunlight to liberate the interior space from these constraints and transform it into a richly evocative space suited to each specific area.
Use: Medical clinic, residential
Total floor area: 407 m²