Color of City

Technicolour Tokyo

The Reversible Destiny Lofts housing project by designers Arakawa and Gins has been covered by numerous sources since its completion in Tokyo about 18 months ago, but to see the psychedelic structure up close and personal is something completely different altogether.

Purposely created with uneven floors, awkwardly positioned light switches and a veranda door that has to be crawled through means that the homes are even more eccentric on the inside – an approach that its creators claim “makes you alert and awakens instincts, so you’ll live better, longer and even forever.”

Now how true that is remains to be seen, but residents will certainly have to live life a little more sparingly, as none of the apartments contain any closets or storage space; a potential problem owners will apparently “learn to figure out”. Yet regardless of the building’s boasted benefits, it undoubtedly adds a dash of much needed colour to what would otherwise be just another staid suburban street.

The contrast with nearby houses considerable to say the least.

Something that the neighbourhood’s more traditional tenants may, or may not, appreciate.