In Toyokawa, Japan there’s a white inhabitable diamond called the Forest House. This two-story building of 140sqm captures our attention for its unusual shape and volume. The house was stretched across its rectangular site in order to generate space for small gardens filled with trees beside each wall. This ingenious design explores a fresh approach to conventional architectural boundaries. Continue reading →

House of Shimamoto by Container Design makes the most of a tiny site in Osaka, Japan. We’re talking about a two-story building with a compact space of only 86sqm that puts to the test the real meaning of ‘Small is Beautiful’. An L-shaped plan organizes the program in a sequential spatial order: the front door is placed away from the street while the facade has almost no windows – both emphasizing a clear sign of privacy. Continue reading →

Sometimes even the smallest of buildings can shelter an infinite sense of space: House in Ishikiri in Osaka, Japan reveals the secret behind such a wonderful experience. A small three-story house of 99sqm was designed by Tato Architects and is located on the hillside of Mount Ikoma. At first sight, one can be deceived by the composition of three separate volumes that transform this house into something poetic and unexpected… Continue reading →

House in Tsurumaki is a tiny two-story building designed by Case Real in Tokyo, Japan. The most remarkable thing about this small house of 61sqm lies in its simplicity and grace. A pitched roof volume seems to rest on a pedestal, both clad in the same grey-blue material. Continue reading →

In architecture, behind every facade there’s always something new to be discovered. In Hiroshima, Japan there’s a small two-story family home of 112sqm that conceals an unexpected mystery: an indoor courtyard with an earth floor and a central tree located at the heart of this unique house. Continue reading →

Somewhere in Tokyo, Japan there’s a place where once existed an ancient samurai residence: House S. Old Pine and Zelkova trees are the remaining evidence of what used to be a domestic piece of traditional Japanese Architecture. Gardens were instantaneously interpreted as the key element to establish a strong connection between different times and spaces. The result is a dark three-story house with green and wood tones erupting from each corner. Almost like if it was a giant black rock sculpted by time and chance, leaving space for nature to quietly flourish between its gaps. Continue reading →

Would you believe me if I told you this was once a dull brick house? A pragmatic solution was needed to transform the old brick house into something brilliant that is linked to its rural environment. Joho Architecture was the team behind Namhae House Renovation in South Korea – and what an amazing renovation it turned out to be! Continue reading →

Picture yourself living inside a series of 7 square-shaped houses – all arranged in a circle! How peculiar… In Tokushima, Japan an unconventional project by Container Design translates this unpredictable spatial circumstance. A total area of 725sqm is disposed under a radial alignment of different pitched volumes, each one adjoined to its neighbor at the corner. It’s like having your own personal neighborhood as a private home. Continue reading →

How can a house be built in three different cities? That’s the magic of prefab architecture. House of 33 years in Nara, Japan is a small home of 104sqm composed by a steel-framed structure that conceals three separate sections. The entire house works as a prototype for a vast range of prefabricated materials like steel, timber, concrete, corrugated plastic and glass panels. Each part of this two-story building was simultaneously built in three cities: the roof shell was developed in Nara, rooms were built in Aomori using local timber while a section of the first floor was conceived in Sendai. Continue reading →

3, 2, 1, lift off! In Fujizakura, Japan there’s a compact house defying the basic rules of gravity. This small single-story family home of 67sqm stands above the ground on a single central pillar. Located on a sloping site, the enigmatic black volume seems completely suspended, floating among the surrounding pine trees. Continue reading →