Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026

Kyoto architecture

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about Kyoto architecture

Project • By atelier yooPrivate Houses

House Tenjin

House Tenjin is located in Tenjinmae-cho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Japan. Operated by the hotel brand Keiyuugyo, the building was originally a timber machiya townhouse constructed in the early Showa period. In this renovation, we took the spatial typology of the machiya as a guiding framework, clarified the house’s structural logic, and reorganized its spatial composition. Through a restrained architectural language, the project reweaves its functions, spaces, and living experience. Yasugi Kazuoki Yasugi Kazuoki Yasugi Kazuoki Yasugi Kazuoki Yasugi Kazuoki Over its long period of use, the existing building had undergone multiple alterations. The street-facing shop space had absorbed the original earthen passagew... More

Project • By STUDIO ALUCHotels

Nazuna Kyoto Higashihonganji

“Nazuna Kyoto Higashihonganji” is a renovation project of a Kyoto townhouse (machiya) that has stood for over 100 years, located on the main street directly in front of the Goei-do Gate of Higashi Honganji Temple. Kenta Hasegawa Kenta Hasegawa Kenta Hasegawa This machiya consists of two buildings, originally separated into east and west wings, which have now been connected by a roof. The structure bears the marks of numerous renovations over the years, blending old and new elements. During the dismantling process, as we uncovered the history of the building, we found structural weaknesses that had developed over time. Reinforcements were made to ensure its stability, while preserving as much of the original woode... More

Project • By Souta Yoriki Design OfficeShops

HOWENE

This is a renovation project in a quiet residential area in Kyoto. The client requested a space where people can physically enjoy wine and music, and also wanted to use speakers that they have a strong emotional attachment to, so I decided to take those speakers as the main part of this project. Tomoyuki Kusunose First, the space was designed to be minimalistic so that the main contents, wine and music, could be experienced through the act of tasting and serving wine, and so that the speakers and turntable would stand out as objects. The materials selected include walnut, which has a European context, and mud walls and copper, which have a Japanese context, in order to create a spatial connection between the foreign context of wine an... More

NewsNews • 10 Dec 2024

Green patination on Kyoto coffee stand is brought about using soy sauce and chemicals

Ryohei Tanaka of Japanese architectural firm G Architects Studio designed a bijou coffee stand in Kyoto that features a green patination brought about using soy sauce and chemicals. The coffee stand is a project for AoQ, a new brand established by Kyoto-based Suetomi, a renowned maker of traditional Japanese confectionery known as wagashi. The stand is on the ground floor of a two-story wooden building — sited on a built-up intersection, it is surrounded by characterless hotels and offices. Daisuke Shima Daisuke Shima G Architects Studio works to create harmony between the past and present, something that is particularly pertinent in the historic city of Kyoto where change is ever pervasive. The coffee stand&rsquo... More

Project • By Tadashi Hirai Design StudioPrivate Houses

House in Kitayama

It is a house renovation for couple specializing in painting and design and their child.We aimed for a space where production activities, daily life, a little exhibition can coexist. The space consists of three layers. The first is a semi-public space.We set up a space that can be used for various purposes such as exhibition space, production and parties on the first floor.By contiguous concrete floor from the outside and surrounding it with a white wall of the same material as the outer wall, we made a semi-public place like alley. Tadashi Hirai Tadashi Hirai Tadashi Hirai Tadashi Hirai Tadashi Hirai Tadashi Hirai The second is intermediate space between semi-public and private around the stairs.By fra... More

NewsNews • 8 Apr 2022

Five dynamic lean-to structures complete a striking renovation of the Shiiba House

On a site featuring a rich garden that has been renovated meticulously over the years, Shiiba house is a renovation of a house built around a hundred years ago in Kyoto. The striking renovation was undertaken by Mandai Architects. Yasuhiro Takagi The clients desired a house where people could gather. Building off an original lean-to extension from the original house, the architects added five wooden lean-to spaces, leaving the existing two-storey main house in the centre. Each lean-to is designed to have a direct relationship with the adjacent garden environment. Yasuhiro Takagi The five new lean-to spaces seemingly support the main house like flying buttresses As a result, the first floor of the existing main house is relieved... More