Barcode Room : shifting spaces

Studio_01, of Designers Alex Knezo and Akinori Hamada, won a competition sponsored by the Japanese real estate company Able, to design a studio apartment that can also be used for gathering space within the home. The resulting work under the name “Barcode Room”, was exhibited during Tokyo Designer's Week 2012 last November, where it has also attaned the grand prize after public voting.

The room, which was exhibited at Tokyo Designer’s Week, is composed of walls (or bars, hence the name Barcode Room) that move freely from side to side on a track. Functional elements like storage and furniture are embedded within these bars, permitting the resident to customize the size of space to fit a variety of uses. Depending on the combination of components, various types of bars can be created, such as a living bar, kitchen bar, or sleeping bar. Just as each object in a store has its own barcode, each usage of the apartment has its own layout, or barcode.

Additionally, when different furniture are unfolded or pulled out of the walls, windows through the space are created as both sides of the wall become connected by large openings.  The dynamic quality of the space’s changeable size and continuity create a feeling of connectivity through the space which seems to virtually enlarges the small floor area.  By utilizing only a ceiling rail to guide movement and wheels below to allow it, this versatile system can be installed not only into new studio apartments, but also in existing apartments as well. Read the brief and view all pictures here.