What was once a tiny 16sqm chalet of a family of farmers has been totally renovated. Located in Orsieres, Switzerland and developed by Savio Fabrizzi, this small traditional alpine house has been transformed into a contemporary holiday home in the Swiss alps. Continue reading →

A small concrete weekend home close to the sea in La Pedrera, Uruguay. Interesting… This compact single story house of 96sqm rests quietly beneath a dense eucalyptus forest. The distribution of the program follows a simple scheme: an exterior deck area precedes the entrance to a small interior space which consists of two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and living-dining room. Simple. 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 →

In Japan there’s a wonderful example that proves how nature can be a precious ally to solve an architectonic challenge like IK House. This compact two-story home was conceived taking an ancient tree as its starting point. An L-shaped plan with a total floor area of 104sqm seems to embrace this surviving fragment of nature as a sign of respect and worship. Continue reading →

A Japanese house extension was built for a family who wants to keep two generations close by. In Shizuoka, Japan there’s a small two-story building with a total floor area of 82sqm that fulfills these special requirements: a house for sheltering the sleeping and study areas of a young couple while social areas were kept in a shared logic with the existing house. Flexibility was a goal to be achieved in this singular context, so an ingenious design explored the traditional values of Japanese architecture in a more dynamic approach. Continue reading →

In Oita, Japan there’s a house that gathers a mother, a child and a dog: Dog Salon. This small single-story building with a total floor area of 66sqm is totally covered in grey metallic panels contrasting with the surrounding rice fields. The program follows the desire to combine work and living areas in a small space : one end of the building serves as the living space while the work area – a dog salon – is placed on the other side. Continue reading →

In Kanagawa, Japan there’s a shiny volume with an unconventional shape that shelters a family of four and a series of domestic gardens. House with Gardens is a small four-story building with a project area of 136sqm placed in a quiet residential area where birds can be heard all day long… The designation of this piece of contemporary Japanese architecture fully expresses the concept behind a remarkable fusion between nature and urban context. Continue reading →

Not all houses have the privilege of being surrounded by woods and a small field, especially not in a dense urban city like Tokyo, Japan. H Orange is one of these rare examples: a small three-story building, with a project area of 115sqm, placed in an outstanding urban setting where privacy is not an issue. Continue reading →

In a high-density city like Tokyo, Japan, small sites are common and tend to defy conventional living spaces. “A life with large opening” is a curious name for a house… However, this small 50sqm home is actually three-story high, and as you can see its name fits perfectly as two vertical volumes are separated by a narrow gap that functions as the access point from the street into the house. Continue reading →