Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

Emmanuelle moureaux architecture + design

PHOTOS
Daisuke Shima (16)

STATUS
Built

SIZE
25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft

YEAR
2011

LOCATION
Azusawa, Itabashi-ku, Japan

TYPE
Commercial › Bank

CONCEPT : RAINBOW MILLE-FEUILLE

Sugamo Shinkin Bank is a credit union that strives to provide first-rate hospitality to its customers in accordance with its motto:

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch
Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

“we take pleasure in serving happy customers.”

Having completed the design for branch outlets of Sugamo Shinkin Bank located in Tokiwadai and Niiza, we were also commissioned to handle the architectural and interior design for its newly rebuilt branch in Shimura.

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch
Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch
Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

For this project, we sought to create a refreshing atmosphere with a palpable sense of nature based on an open sky motif.

12 LAYER OF COLOR

A rainbow-like stack of colored layers, peeking out from the façade to welcome visitors.

Reflected onto the white surface,s these colors leave a faint trace over it, creating a warm, gentle feeling.

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch
Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

At night, the colored layers are faintly illuminated. The illumination varies according to the season and time of day, conjuring up myriad landscapes.

A PIECE OF THE SKY

Upon entering the building, three elliptical skylights bathe the interior in a soft light.

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch
Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

Visitors spontaneously look up to see a cut-out piece of the sky that invites them to gaze languidly at it.

The open sky and sensation of openness prompts you to take deep breaths, refreshing your body from within.

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch
Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch
Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

FUZZY PUFFS

The ceiling is adorned with dandelion puff motifs that seem to float and drift through the air.

In Europe, there is a long and cherished custom of blowing on one of these fuzzy balls while secretly making a wish.

Bits of fluffy down gently dance and frolic in the air, carried by the wind.

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch
Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

The second storey houses offices, meeting rooms and a cafeteria, while the third floor is reserved for the staff changing rooms.


Three long glass airwells thread through the first and second levels of the building, flooding the interior with natural light as well as “blowing” air through it.

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura Branch

Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design
T +81 3 32930323 F +81 3 32930322
Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design
Tounkyo Bldg 3F, 1-14-14 Uchikanda, Chiyoda-Ku, 101-0047 Tokyo, Japan