Frenchwoman Emmanuelle Moureau has been living and working in Tokyo since 1996, and quite successfully: her bureau emmanuelle moureaux architecture + design has already implemented four projects for Sugamo Shinkin Bank only. All of them combine a non-standard vision of form and active work with color. The developed concept is conventionally called the "rainbow melody" by the architect and her colleagues.
A small two-storey building (its area is only 588 m2), first of all, surprises with a harmonious scale, consonant with a person. It is located in a very busy place, there are many cars, pedestrians, cyclists around, and the more valuable is the attention to the psychological comfort of a person. The wooden flooring in front of the main façade plays an important role in this.
The facade itself is a series of cubes extended to different lengths. Their ends and side edges are finished with aluminum plates with a fluorocarbon coating of the most incredible colors. The whole structure is similar to the drum of a mechanical piano: when moving along the facade, which, as we remember, is quite active here, an intriguing rhythm of volumes and color spots arises.
In 12 of these cubes, seasonal plants and even trees are planted: marigolds, lavender, olives. As the building faces south, sunlight shines through the greenery and creates a playful and cheerful atmosphere in the interior. On the first floor there is an open space, on the second there are work places for financiers and a cafeteria. The decoration of all rooms is deliberately modest and calm, in no way distracting from the riot of colors and the play of volumes on the facade.
The architects' proposed solution, which at first glance seems more appropriate for a kindergarten rather than a solid financial institution, is in fact a direct response to the Sugamo Shinkin Bank motto: "We enjoy serving happy people." Indeed: it’s probably great to come to your bank with an expression of childish happiness on your face.
