Ultimate Infill: A Skinny Building Amidst The Ginza Alley In Japan

Amidst one of Ginza’s many backstreets lies an L-shaped plot of land. This plot of land, which remained vacant for 3 years and hidden by the shadows of the tall buildings surrounding it, is only 2.7 meters wide (around 9 feet). Eventually, a developer stepped in.

More: SO&CO (jp) h/t: spoon&tamago, neatorama

The developer teamed up with So Teruuchi of SO&CO to create one of the district’s most skinniest buildings. Due to the nature of the property, the architect was faced with several constraints: not only did they have to leave enough room for scaffolding but they couldn’t fit any heavy machinery into the plot. So everything had to be done by hand.

But the result is a surprisingly minimal and elegant 4-story building. Unlike many people’s perception of a high-end and ritzy Ginza, the majority of backstreets are filled with drab, nondescript office buildings. This structure stands out like a gem. Titled “Ginza Tenant Building,” it was completed in early 2019.