Japanese architecture

Here, on Showa Koji in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, row houses built before World War II stand on both sides of the alley. When the tenants changed, the residential units were renovated one by one, and this is the third phase of the project.In the past, repairs and DIY by the tenants spoiled the appearance, but as the project progressed, the roofs and plastered walls were integrated and the different designs of louvers and windows achieved a good rhythm and balance.In this phase, based on market research, sanitary areas were minimised and living rooms were maximised to fit in with the lifestyle of running a small shop or office and living there.The framework of Machiya assembled with old post and beams was emphasised while the finishing materials... More

House Renovation | Alley ‧ Sunshine Three generations under a Japanese-industrial housing HuahappeNi A project located in Taichung City 30 years old townhouse within an alleyway   After discussion with owner we decided to use grey as base for outside appearance. Then we used southern pine wood texture to create warm feel balanced out the cold feel from grey scheme tiles done in cross pattern for vitality in front yard.   Brushed porcelain tiles for scratch resistant and low liquid absorption ensuring cleanliness and wet days safety.  HuahappeNi Straight line shoe cabinet to match same depth as front yard. This let every family member to have personal shoe cabinet. Japanese simplicity... More

The house is sited on a path,where old houses and tradition remain. At the end of the path is a Shinto shrine. yohei sasakura yohei sasakura Every year, omikoshi are carried along this path during the festivities of the Naginata Matsuri.For this residential project, we aimed to create a house which harmonizes with its con- text in both materiality and geometry. yohei sasakura yohei sasakura The house is in the hiraya style, composed of 3 consecutive kirizuma roofs.Through slits and apertures, blue skies are visible from the interior. Two gardens are born from shifts in spatial composition. One for “tranquility” and family. The other, for “movement” and hospitality. yohei sasakura yohei... More

This is a project to renovate an old house in Nara City. Various buildings of different ages stand on the site, sharing a corridor and a courtyard. The oldest and largest of them is a barn with a large atrium, built to store long logs. The barn had been little used for many years and had become weathered. The client wanted to renovate it into a comfortable living space. Keishiro Yamada We removed a large amount of mud walls that had detached from the bamboo framework due to continuous leaks, rebuilt the basement, reinforced columns and beams that had been weakened by termite and decay damage, and filled the roof and walls with insulation. Keishiro Yamada The atrium, converted into a large living room, leads to a Japanese-style r... More

This project is a renovation of a traditional Japanese house in Nara, Japan for a young couple and their children. The husband spent his childhood here and later his family lived in Tokyo, but in order to improve their work and lifestyle, they decided to renovate the vacant house and move in. Yohei Sasakura The house was built around 1930 and had been extended and remodeled several times, and there were no drawings or other documents available. When we removed the finishes to investigate, the history of the old renovations was revealed one after another in the floors, walls, and ceilings. Yohei Sasakura The earthen floor had been renovated into a kitchen and dining room, "engawa" - a semi-outdoor deck - had been converted into a... More

NIKI-H by Takashi Seisho and Kazunori WakaiA small house designed for wine-making settlers in Hokkaido. The client is starting up a winery and requested a house with minimal essentials to live with his partner. The freezing depth of the ground is 60 cm, which becomes the requirement to obtain anti-freeze properties. Making the most of it, the structure was created simply by installing a roof over the RC foundation deeply rooted underground.    Caption Structural calculations dictate the roof slope of a 60-degree-angle to withstand the snow load. Applying this curve, the gable roof produced an equilateral triangle on the gable façade. Caption The geometry of the triangular prism stands out be a distinctive volum... More

Nonoichi City in Ishikawa Prefecture is located Southwest of Kanazawa City, a historical city of the Hokuriku Region. The terrain is flat and the municipal area is relatively small. While there are vestiges here and there of the formal rural districts, the area is changing due to the more than 50,000 people that now live in the residential district. The two universities found in the city are another reason why many young people reside in the area. Not only that, it is constantly highly ranked on “Most Agreeable Cities to Live in” lists. Kaleid is situated at the heart of the agreeable city of Nonoichi.  MIKAMI Architects MIKAMI Architects This facility was requested to be a library that stores and provides inform... More

The owner lived next to their parents' family.There were some extended carports and eaves in the garden, and they lived by going back and forth while using the outside space. Hidekazu Kishi The front road was narrow and there were few traffic, so the exterior space, including the vacant lot opposite, was used like a garden for two families.Then, the owner builds a new house in the vacant lot, and their grandmother begins to live in the house they used to live in. Hidekazu Kishi The neighboring house on the south side was a one-story house and the ground was lowered by 1 m, so place the house as close to the south as possible and leave the size and brightness of the vacant lot as much as possible.From there, eaves and terraces ar... More