House in Kyoto, by 07BEACH
This timber-clad family home was designed for a couple and their three young children in northern Kyoto. The clients opted for an open-plan design informed by their passion for its simplicity, as well as the need to keep an eye on their children at all times. 07BEACH placed a young tree at the centre of the double-height living room, which will sentimentally grow alongside the children over the years. Meanwhile, on the first floor, a tatami mat room and the chlidrens’ bedroom both feature large overhead windows that compliment the tactile surfaces with natural light.
Sakaushi House in Tokyo, by Taku Sakaushi
This house, which completed in 2019, was designed by architect Taku Sakaushi for himself and his wife. He bought the 50 sq m site in Shinjuku on a bit of a whim, and then considered the planning regulations – which restricted the structure to three levels, one below ground. He mulled over the design, and was influenced by a host of architectural experiences from the book he published in 2010 titled Architecture as Frame (Sankeisha) and the House in Uehara designed by Kazuo Shinohara, his respected teacher. With the limit of two levels above ground, he shifted the living space to the upper floor, and a work space – a study and a calligraphy room for his wife – to the middle. Casting interesting sightlines and layers of stairs through the space, Sakaushi only half jokes that the house is also a tool for exercise.
House in Toyonaka, by FujiwaraMuro Architects
Privacy was at the core of the client’s design brief for this concrete home in Toyonaka. To bring in ample lighting levels without generating intrusive window views, FujiwaraMuro Architects introduced a central ‘light court’ that runs from the roof to the ground level garage, via the first-floor kitchen/living space. An additional vertical cut between the two street-facing volumes and a horizontal cut above the garage provide striking glimpses of the sky and street, all the while ensuring adequate natural light. Sunlight drapes over a material palette of concrete and wood inside, creating quiet scenes of calm across the communal first floor spaces and private ground floor rooms. Photography: Katsuya Taira
Stone House, by Hiroshi Sambuichi
Located at the junction of three prefectures (Hiroshima, Yamaguchi and Shimane), this house treads lightly on the earth with his architecture. Architect Hiroshi Sambuichi takes pride in designing with natural and re-used materials. Stone House is a minimal masterpiece that had to be able to withstand the cold months, when the area is buffeted by harsh winds and blanketed in snow, but it also had to serve as a cool retreat during the hot summer months. Sambuichi took the fairly radical decision of burying the house in a bed of stones, which come from a nearby river. In winter, these stones protect the house from icy blasts, while in summer, they keep the temperature and humidity down. Photography: Shinkenchu-sha
Elevated on a hillside, Rokko house designed by Yo Shimada is located in Kobe, southern Japan
Tato Architects designed this elevated house on a hillside in the town of Kobe in southern Japan. Found in a mountainous area, the two-storey house has a steel frame with glazed walls. At ground floor, transparent walls contain the kitchen, dining room. The first floor is used for entertaining, creating music or working, while upstairs again on the second floor, there is a bedroom and storage space. Japanese architect Yo Shimada set up his office, Tato, in 1997 and his work involves a plethora of residential design, including this house in Rokko.
Yuji Tanabe Architects collaborates with a local wood craftsman on Pettanco House
With the client’s budget constraints in mind, architect Yuji Tanabe and his team envisioned Pettanco House as a modern, open space with low ceilings and simple, minimalist detailing. Located in the mountainous region of Matsumoto, the area often referred to as the Japanese Alps, the house’s many wooden elements feature locally grown species, such as the Japanese Larch used for the structural frame. The two-storey construction was calculated using the Japanese module of ken – this is a commonly used unit in Japanese architecture (1 Ken corresponds to 1.82m). The multi-functional space covers many needs. It is a practical and spacious family home, with two bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground level at the rear of the property. It is also a workshop, with studio space located above, on the first floor. Photography: Yuji Tanabe
