Roopt has many appealing features, but one of them is "renovation." Makigumi Co., Ltd., which operates Roopt, is a company that specializes in renovating vacant houses, and Roopt is filled with the technology that Makigumi has cultivated.
When we explain the renovation features to prospective tenants, they often get excited, so we thought, "Why not write an article about it and share it with even more people!" and so we've written an article explaining Roopt's renovations. With commentary from Hiratsuka of Makigumi's PR department, we hope you'll discover even more of the charm of Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori. *Presented in an interview format by editor/writer Takashi Tsunoda
Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori is a four-story share house located about 30 minutes by train or car from Sendai Station, and a 1-minute walk from Hon-Shiogama Station on the JR Senseki Line. The second floor has a common space and rooms for short-term rentals, while the third and fourth floors have a total of five private rooms (rooms A to E) for the share house. It is a place where you can experience the "artistic" atmosphere of Shiogama, with features such as bookshelves that utilize the steps of the staircase, a ceiling painted in tricolor, and tatami mats that were discarded during renovations embedded in the walls.
—First of all, could you tell us about the overall theme?
Shiogama City, where Roopt Shiogama Kaigan-dori is located, is one of Miyagi Prefecture's leading port towns and a town full of historical charm, including Shiogama Shrine. We have incorporated various features throughout the building so that our residents can also experience this. Furthermore, Roopt Shiogama Kaigan-dori is based on the theme of "renovation without waste," and we are making the most of leftover materials and scraps generated during the renovation process, rather than throwing them away.
—That's a sustainable initiative.
Yes, that's right. I'll explain it later, but it's used in an interesting way, so please look forward to it.
Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori is a shared house created by renovating the second to fourth floors of a four-story residential building. It's the triangular building you'll see immediately to your left when you exit Hon-Shiogama Station.
—As it says on your website, it's really right in front of the station, isn't it?
Yes, it's a one-minute walk! You'll really appreciate how close it is to the station once you step inside the share house.
(Hiratsuka waves in front of the share house. Can you see him?)
It's a little hard to find, but if you exit the station and walk to the left, you'll see a Uotami restaurant, and we're across from it. If you're coming for an event or viewing, you can use Uotami as a landmark.
(View of the first floor. You go up the stairs to enter the shared house.)
—We've finally entered the share house. The second floor is a community space, right?
That's right! The second floor is a shared living room with a kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. There's also a room for short-term rentals at the back of the living room, so residents can use it when they want to invite friends over.
—It's great that you can use it even for just one night! Looking at the living room, I got the impression that it's mostly "red." Is there any meaning behind that?
Shiogama Shrine is just a 10-minute walk from here, and since the shrine's torii gate is red, we decided on the colors based on that. The red paint from the entrance to the guest rooms is meant to evoke the image of a shrine approach, and the joints in the ceiling and floor (joints used to fill gaps between materials) are also the same red to create a sense of unity.
Incidentally, in architectural terminology, this is called "mesukashi" (open joint), and this open joint construction method is usually applied to ceilings. However, thanks to the ingenuity of the architect from Maki-gumi who was in charge of this share house, it has also been incorporated into the floor.
Visiting Shiogama Shrine will likely give you a better understanding of the meaning behind this ingenuity. Next up is the kitchen, but the wall... huh??
We've attached tatami mats and sliding doors to the walls, which is quite unusual, isn't it? This is one example of "renovation without waste." During the renovation process, we came across some tatami mats and sliding doors that were going to be discarded. It seemed a waste to just throw them away, so we decided to use them for something and brought them to the kitchen on the second floor. By the way, you'll have to wait until later to find out which tatami mats and sliding doors we used.
—By using things instead of throwing them away, you can create such an interesting space.
And one more thing. Don't you think the kitchen looks a bit clunky? Actually, it was originally a cupboard, part of a set with the counter table in the living room. We split it in two and installed a new sink, transforming it into a kitchen!
—So you're renovating not only the house but even the furniture! Next up is a room for short-term rentals, right?
This is a room available for short-term rentals, and you don't have to be a resident to stay here. Trial stays and short trips are also welcome.
—I was curious about the space on the left.
This was originally a closet, and I removed the sliding doors and the wooden divider (the board that separates the storage space into upper and lower sections) to fit in a desk and a sofa. If you look closely, you can see the sliding door rails, which tells you it was once a closet.
—That's true, in a shared house or short-term rental, you don't need that much storage space, so it makes sense to remove it and expand the living space. Could you also briefly tell me about the other parts of the second floor?
We've incorporated a Japanese aesthetic not just on the second floor, but throughout the entire share house. For example, we've used rope in the lighting in the dressing room and in the bathroom. We put a lot of effort into these little details, so we hope that visitors to the share house will take the time to look around thoroughly.
(The light in the changing room. Renovated so that one power source can illuminate two areas.)
—There was so much to see just on the second floor! Now we'll move on to the private rooms, starting with the third floor!
The third floor has three rooms: rooms A, B, and C.
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