Caffè Bongo

Situated on Tokyos busiest pedestrian corner, Caff Bongo defines a dramatic image, an arresting pop-classical collage. Bursting with a vocabulary drawn from the sub-cultures of music and fashion, the cafes aircraft-wing-meets-Piranesian-Rome aesthetic captures the fundamental design currents of the late twentieth century - and the desire amongst young Japanese to connect with the West. The irregular shell was remodelled into a dynamic sculpting of space that advances and retreats. The bar buries itself within the wall, while the somewhat precarious curved balcony redoubles the height.