A tree grows up through voids in Hamada Design’s Glass + Wood building

Photography is by Yohei Sasakura. Related story: Amano Design Office wraps Tokyo office block with steel ribbons
A beauty salon is accommodated on the ground floor of the building, with the upper storey used as offices for the owner’s property company. Glazing that wraps around the two levels provides extensive views towards distant mountains to the south. Openings in these decks create space for a tree that grows up to the level of the first floor and can be looked down on from a roof garden. The same decking used for the balconies covers the surface of the rooftop, which features three raised beds covered with turf and planted with small trees that create a visual connection with the fields and mountains beyond. Flooring and ceilings are made from hardwood that continues onto the decks and undersides of the balconies. Gauzy white curtains can be drawn around the glass surfaces to create privacy if required. Ground floor plan – click for larger imageFirst floor plan –   click for larger imageRoof plan –   click for larger image Rectangular voids in the projecting timber decks of this beauty salon and office building in Japan by Osaka studio Hamada Design frame foliage that grows from a bed on the ground floor (+ slideshow). The Glass + Wood building is located in the city of Koga, next to one of Japan’s main motorways connecting the cities of Kyoto and Nagoya. Hamada Design was asked to create a structure that would attract the attention of passing vehicles.