Tokyo's Pool Ayoma, a retail space made from the vacant ground-floor pool of a 1970s apartment building, is one of those conversions that revels in its past life. Japanese architect Nobuo Araki left the bottom of the pool visible through a glass floor, and not only kept the steel ladder intact, but repeated its form in the lighting fixtures and clothing racks that run through the space. The blue and white tiles lining the new counter space are another throwback to that classic natatorium look. "On our first visit to the empty pool," Araki's design team told Dezeen, "we were drawn to the soft light that filled the space, and the charm of the well-worn walls and floor that had come through decades of use."
To bring in more light, the team installed a glass ceiling at the front of the store, which is about the most invasive change they made. By leaving the place's original function wholly visible, Araki also left room for the new owners to take the theme and run with it. Which seems to be the case, from the look of things.
· Tokyo boutique by Nobuo Araki sits inside an old swimming pool [Dezeen]
· All conversions coverage [Curbed National]
· All retail coverage [Curbed National]