Tokyo, Japan
Just 3.5 square meters, the Cardboard Sleep Capsule by Toshihiko Suzuki of Atelier OPA developed with Kotobuki Seating Co. Ltd. provides living basics with a comfortable, human scale.
Cardboard Sleep Capsule is a compact, lightweight, prefabricated, inexpensive cardboard bedroom that ensures the occupants’ privacy and rest.
Japanese master architect Kisho Kurokawa designed the Capsule Hotel in 1979, which was later commercialised by Kotobuki Seating Co., Ltd. as a product.
In 2020, his disciple, Toshihiko Suzuki along with Kotobuki Seating developed Cardboard Sleep Capsule to be placed in a gymnasium or civic hall for refugees of earthquakes or other disasters.
For its innovative and sustainable design, the Cardboard Sleep Capsule has recently been awarded a 2022 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Connecting two shipping boxes—“Uni-Pak” of Tri-wall—forms a single room, with holes as an entrance and a window for daylight and ventilation.
The 3.5 square meter space consisting of a room, storage, and desk meets sphere standards per person and can even become two stories.
When one enters the sleep capsule, one can feel a comfortable human scale.
The capsule and dividing walls block out surrounding sounds, sightlines, and smells, ensuring the user’s privacy.
Provided the user brings along bedding and a computer, the unit can also be adapted to provide a comfortable remote working space.
In this way, Cardboard Sleep Capsule ensures individual privacy while still being able to accommodate a large number of people into the evacuation environment.
Project: Cardboard Sleep Capsule
Architects: Atelier OPA Co., Ltd.
Lead Architect: Toshihiko Suzuki
Client: Kotobuki Seating, Co., Ltd.
Photographers: Shinjiro Yamada
