tooth

2013 -

This dentist office is located on the outskirts of Tokyo. Dental clinics have traditionally been semi-public facilities, but here, based on the notion of “voluntary communality,” I have also attempted to create a space in which the first-floor of the office, abutting an intersection, functions as private land that is tinged with a public aspect. To raise the treatment space, which hangs over the entire lot, I angled the reinforced concrete structure on the ground floor sharply towards the rear. And by making the large open pilotis face the intersection, the overall form coincidentally came to resemble a molar. Though pilotis are often used for parking areas, in this case they became an extension of the pedestrian crossing. I anticipate that the space will also at times serve as a shortcut for pedestrians and that the clinic will be a comfortable place where local residents can take shelter from the rain. The lounge and the head dentist’s private office are quietly positioned behind the pilotis.
In contrast to the first floor, the one-room space in the second-floor treatment area is fluidly partitioned with a structure made out of 6mm-thick steel sheets, curved to provide added strength. The terrace on the periphery is a semi-outdoor space covered with stainless-steel mesh, serving as a buffer that softly deflects the view from outside and sunlight from entering the treatment area while simultaneously imbuing the interior with an expansive quality. The three consolation and treatment rooms, situated in the corners, were each designed to have a subtly different atmosphere by varying the height of the ceiling, depth of the terrace, and amount of sunlight. The dental-chair units are all arranged to face an open corner window. By opening the window when the weather is nice, the consolation and treatment rooms are transformed into airy spaces surrounded by greenery.

location Hino City, Tokyo
principal use dental clinic
completion date 2013
total floor area 141m2
structure reinforced concrete, steel frame, wood
2 stories