DRM LIVE-WORK

Takasaki, Japan

DRM Live-Work is a mixed-use building for an individual client, which houses a flower design studio and her residence. The project is located in a developing neighborhood in Takasaki City, adjacent to the city's most popular commercial destinations with various stores, restaurants, and a movie theatre.

The building is a simple cubic form of 98m2, divided into residential and commercial areas with the bedroom above floating in the middle. It utilizes unique materials to achieve environmentally-responsible construction and a healthy indoor environment: Stucco-like exterior walls made of volcanic ash, cellulose fiber insulation made from recycled newspaper, and plaster-like interior walls made of seashell powder, which together create vapor-permeable wall assembly. Utilizing non-toxic paint and a minimal amount of plywood also helps improve indoor air quality.

Location: Takasaki City, Gunma, Japan
Building Type: Mixed Use (Residence/Flower Arrangement Studio)
Team: Junko Yamamoto
Completion: 2008
Floor area: 1,055sf / Lot area: 1,710sf

Exterior wall: Soton (made of volcanic ash, vapor permeable)
Insulation: Cellulose fiber (vapor permeable)
Interior wall: Chaff wall (made of sea shells, vapor permeable)
Exterior/interior paint: Taya series (non-toxic)