Yuji Nakae, Akiyoshi Takagi, Hiroshi Ohno – NE Apartments

In central Tokyo not everybody dares to leave their motorcycle on the street, with the high incidence of vandalism and theft. This eight-unit apartment block (289 m² in total) was designed with such motorcycle owners in mind. A drive leads from the street into a small interior courtyard, just large enough to turn a motorbike around in, lined with eight narrow garage doors, which also serve as the front doors of the apartments. Inside each flat is a combination of garage, small hallway and bathroom/laundry area. Stairs climb up to a several stories open-plan living area. The walls of the apartments radiate from the centre, dividing them from each other. Basically all the residents live on two stories above the garage, but due to the demand for smaller and larger apartments in some of the flats, the stairs only lead up to the first floor, the area above extending the neighbouring flat.