In Kyoto, Japan a sculptural volume assumes an intriguing presence in the suburb context of Muko. A two-story building stands perfectly disguised behind a wall of concrete vertical bars with a total floor area of 100sqm. This sort of formal mask contributes to its enigmatic appearance while creating the perfect filter from the street. Actually, the main facade curves around the south-east edge of the building to track the shape of a road running alongside. Continue reading →

Columns are a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of a structure to other structural elements below. Although its fundamental functionality, columns are also an opportunity for architects to achieve a distinctive spatial quality for any kind of building. The design of the Fukasawa House exquisitely shows how to utilize this element inside a home. Continue reading →

A minimal house in Hokkaido, Japan demonstrates the infinite power of simplicity to achieve beauty in architecture. Northern Nautilus testifies another inspirational journey through natural elements to obtain a unique design for a house on a town hill. Its unusual name results from its spiral shape that responds to a desired view over the surrounding park. Continue reading →

A crystalline architecture has been erected in the dense urban fabric of Hiroshima, Japan. Its main purpose is to create a house for privacy and tranquility on a bustling main road filled with cars and trams. Glass Optical House is a three-story building with a dynamic glass block facade, revealing its material ability to be both translucent and visible varying on light conditions. Standing above the ground level garage, this giant glass wall seems to transform itself from appearing as an over-sized Shoji screen to a transparent layer that reveals the trees behind it. Continue reading →

Don´t be mistaken by the name of this project…We’re talking about a private house in Tochigi, Japan. Modern simplicity plays a decisive role in every detail of this building, from its formal shape to the palette of materials that compose its silhouette. Continue reading →

Pyramids have been built by several civilizations across the world. For thousands of years, the biggest structures on the planet were pyramids…In Saijo, Japan a new pyramid was born to shelter a Japanese family on a very modest scale. Continue reading →

In Tokyo, Japan a tiny house works as an efficient space for living… Against all odds, Coupled House demonstrates how to contradict a dense urban context, avoiding the consequent sense of claustrophobia. Continue reading →

A house extension gives shelter to trees that felled in order to allow its construction – Is there something more inspirational and poetic than this? In Kagawa, Japan a two-story extension occupies the garden of a 35-year-old family house, serving as a home for the owner’s daughter. The two trees were positioned in the only available spot for the new construction, which lead to an unusual yet brilliant solution: the trees were dried up to become a living part of the interior of the house extension. That’s why the name of the building is so enigmatic: Garden Tree House. Continue reading →

Do you know what Kura means to Japanese architecture? Kura is a traditional Japanese storehouse. Its typology commonly corresponds to durable buildings built from timber, stone or clay used to safely store valuable commodities. House M works as a modern interpretation of such an ancient building tradition, placed in Ishikawa in a tiny gap between the national road and the city limits. Continue reading →

In Hamamatsu City, Japan there is a house with wings…figuratively speaking, of course! Mascara House is a two-story building that seems to result as a mixture between a boat and a tower volume. An exquisite formal balance is brilliantly achieved by a middle section that stands lifted off the ground and is curved like the hull of a boat. Continue reading →