Mura-Cekai is a minimalist office space located in Tokyo, Japan, designed by Assistant. The floor is drawn with 1m-grid white lines to visualize the primary rule: occupancy of the space is possible from per-square-meter. The village is run by self-made laws (which also grow), such as each occupant must allow at least one side of his/her/their space to meet an open space for the public. Following the 1m-grid lines that define Mura-Cekai, ‘unfinished walls’ naturally create discussion and negotiation when occupancy of the grid zones begin: occupants begin to recognize their physical and psychological boundaries to the point where individual modification of the walls takes place. ‘Unfinished walls’ keep changing their looks and surroundings accordingly, merging or separating occupants.

Photography by Kenta Hasegawa