SUGAMO SHINKIN BANK AND EKODA ARE AMONG THE RAINBOW SHOWERS.

In response to the expectation of “creating a bank that customers feel happy to visit,” the ekoda branch of the Japanese bank Sugamoshinkin incorporates a cheery appeal in its seamlessly merged interiors and exteriors. The photographs were taken by Daisuke Shima in collaboration with NACA Partners Inc. and are courtesy of the designer. The interiors and architecture project of the Sugamoshinkin Bank, a credit union that takes pride in providing a high level of customer service, was designed by the French architect Emmanuelle Moureaux, who is based in Tokyo. Moureaux is known for using colors as three-dimensional elements, or layers, to create spaces. He lends a cheerful and airy outlook to the project. The property, which is 574.08 square meters in size, is situated in the thriving business neighborhood of Ekoda, which is characterized by strong traffic and a sidewalk that is rather narrow. Because of this, the architect was able to implement her well-known idea of shikiri by skillfully combining the interiors and exteriors of the building by using rainbow colors and spatial division. The layers and colors of Tokyo, as well as traditional Japanese spatial components such as sliding screens, have been a consistent source of inspiration for this idea, as stated by Moureaux. The structure is set back two meters from the boundary of the land, and 29 sticks, each of which is nine meters tall and painted in a different color of the rainbow, create a lively atmosphere in the timber-decked area that surrounds the building. A visible barrier is broken down by the reflection of these sticks on the translucent, glass front of the building. This is accomplished by mingling with 19 sticks that have been randomly placed within the structure. In order to infuse the town with color and a sense of humor, the outcome is a shower that looks like a rainbow. Because to the bamboo-lined, glass-encased, sunlight café-like room, guests get the impression that they are already in the great outdoors even as soon as they enter the building building. Along with the rainbow-colored sticks on the inside and outside, these bamboos that are referred to as “courtyard bamboos” reach upwards into the sky. For moureaux, who seeks to evoke feelings through the application of color, the resulting blurred boundaries between the exteriors and interiors of the bank compose four distinct spatial layers that are reflected on the glazing. These layers, when combined with complex shadows, create depth in this space. Indiaartndesign.com has photographs of the bank that can be seen by clicking here.