Tokyo Sento Spa (Temple University Tokyo, Spring 2013)

Site: Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan

The goal of this project was to investigate how the materiality of the building envelope could accommodate multiple tectonic functions and respond to variations in program as well as environmental criteria. Initially, in response to the abundance of signage in the Akihabara area of Tokyo, I asked: "Can an entire facade be a sign?" I was intrigued by the idea that the facade could tell a story about a building, and even change to tell many stories. The program includes a hostel and a spa with indoor and outdoor bathing, as well as a ground level cafe/night club. The concept of a dynamic material began to merge with the experiential idea to create a veil for the spa, both to introduce a relaxing atmosphere with an "ideal view" reminiscent of Mount Fuji, and to allow for the capture and use of rainwater for the baths. The geodesic structure lent itself well to this fusion, providing the necessary diagrid to suspend geotextile modules for rain collection and filtration. Rainwater is stored in the nets, gradually sagging until capacity, after which it cascades into the outdoor pools or rotenburo. The indoor baths in the hostel rooms are connected to the larger sento (bathhouse) and are considered semi-public. The hostel and bathhouse spaces at the top of the dome are meant to be internally translucent and communal, fostering a sense of natural phenomena while not completely denying the surrounding urban context. Below, the geotextile meshes assume an egress and transition typology, acting as soft entryways and partitions/enclosures for the open cafe and event space booths. At night, the ground level becomes a lively arena for music and entertainment as the cyclical narrative of the facade continues.