he project involved renovating the rooftop of an 8-year-old office building into a tenant-exclusive rooftop lounge. Currently, approximately two-thirds of the area is occupied by existing facilities and one-third is an open space, divided into three areas by windbreak walls and pigeon houses. Leveraging the distinct characteristics of these three divided areas, the proposal was to create a lounge resembling an art gallery by placing artwork by different artists in each area.

The characteristics of the three areas are as follows:

Area 1: A green smoking lounge created by utilizing the height of the pigeon houses and windbreak walls for greening purposes. 

Area 2: A lounge with lounge chairs and counters, offering a long duration of shaded hours. 

Area 3: A lounge utilizing the existing pipes and the height difference of the pigeon houses, featuring a grand staircase and a large table.

Two technical hurdles were encountered during the planning phase. The first hurdle was the rooftop’s load-bearing capacity, and the second hurdle was to maintain the barrier-free certification for the building. Regarding the load-bearing capacity of the rooftop slab, a thorough examination was conducted with the assistance of the original designers, revealing that there was sufficient reserve capacity. This allowed for adjustments to be made to each area’s characteristics while maintaining the required load-bearing conditions. As for the barrier-free accessibility, fortunately, the areas requiring a ramp due to height differences were located in areas where the load capacity could be increased. This was resolved by incorporating ramps into the design.

The completion timing in May 2020 coincided with the anticipation of increased demand for outdoor lounges due to societal circumstances. It is hoped that the rooftop lounge will provide users with a meaningful and enjoyable space to spend their time.