INNEN OFFICE, Nishi-Shinjuku Tokyo – Office Tour

INNEN OFFICE — Nishi-Shinjuku: air mattresses as insulating curtains

chindon architects turned one unit of a 1980s concrete apartment block in Nishi-Shinjuku into their own office and a 24-hour unstaffed shared office, just 40 m². To keep every centimetre, they left the concrete bare and wrapped the room in translucent air mattresses, the kind kept for emergencies, as insulating curtains.

Client chindon architectsLocation Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, TokyoCompleted March 2025Floor area about 40 m²Design chindon architects (Masayasu Shinoda)Construction with wood

Concept

Air as insulation

Running unstaffed around the clock, the room needed a stable climate and protection for the concrete. The architects noticed the air layer in emergency air mats.

The translucent mats keep heat in while letting light through. Their hollow shapes scatter light and drop shadows on the floor like sunlight through leaves. In spring and autumn the curtains open wide.

01 · Concrete

Clear gloss over the scars

The 1980s concrete was rough and full of marks. Rather than painting it white, it was given a high-gloss clear coat, so reflections cover the clutter, unify the room and show the passing of time.

02 · MDF

Everything in the walls

Recyclable MDF, close in texture to cement board, is used throughout. The toilet, back office and kitchen are tucked inside walls of coloured MDF, and low furniture and tables of the same material keep the small office open.

Companychindon architects ↗

Designchindon architects

PhotographyMasumi Shishido

SourceTECTURE, “INNEN OFFICE”, re-reported by WALL ↗

PublishedOctober 2026