Shonan T-Site
Back to Projects list- Location
- Kanagawa, Japan
- Year
- 2014
Taking on many of the ideas that were developed for DAIKANYAMA T-SITE in Tokyo, the SHONAN T-SITE is Klein Dytham architecture’s second T-SITE bookstore project for Tsutaya, Japan’s leading media and retail company.
Located only 2km from the famous Shonan coast, the area's strong surf vibe was a key influence to make this project relaxed, informal and approachable.
The former factory site was very different from the first T-SITE project in the leafy area of Daikanyama. But by creating a series of gateways or portals that were shifted along a central axis, it was possible to create pocket parks and natural entrances. The portals were shifted vertically as well as horizontally to allow light into the central areas of the building and to help modulate the architecture of the building.
Tsutaya, the name of the company, is written in two kanji characters - tsuta and ya. ‘tsuta' means ivy and ‘ya' means house - which lead to the ivy pattern on the facade. This motif was important to soften the project with leaves, but also to make up for the lack of greenery by idea association.