Daylight House – looking to the sky

Yokohama Kanagawa JAPAN – Takeshi Hosaka Architects Year: 2012 Built area: 85 m2 (920 sq ft) We think this home is an elegant solution to a common problem in many crowded cities – a bad outlook… in fact, an outright ugly outlook! The lot is surrounded by high density housing so any conventional windows would […]
Amida House – Interesting on many levels

Gotenba, Shizuoka Japan – Kochi Architect’s Studio Built area: 115.5 m2 (1,247 sq. ft.) Year Built: 2011 Photography: Daici Ano This is one of the more ‘out there’ designs we have come across. There are nine distinct levels in this small home. While our initial reaction was muted, our enthusiasm grew as we read […]
Retreating to the Foothills

Yatsugatake Villa – MDS Location: Hokuto-City, Japan Area: 110.01 m2 Built: 2012 The owners of this villa are an older couple who left the city to spend their retirement farming. They wanted a low-maintenance home with maximum energy efficiency. Located in a harsh environment in the foothills of a mountainous region, it was necessary for the house to […]
House in Byobugaura – Takeshi Hosaka Architects

57th and Vivian – Modular, Prefabricated and ‘Net Zero’ Solar

Vancouver Canada – Lanefab Design/Build Lot frontage: 50ft (15 metres) Built area: 1020 sq. ft. (95 m2) including single garage Photography: Dylan Doubt Cities and local governments around the world are struggling with the challenges of urban sprawl. The financial cost of providing roads and transport infrastructure and maintenance is crippling […]
To Work and Back in 60 Seconds…

Hackney, London UK – Edgley Design Area -Studio: 79 m2 (853 sq. ft.) Area – Home: 105 m2 (1,134 sq ft) Year Built: 2011 Like so many cities, London is crowded and expensive. Infill provides opportunity for greater use of space without forcing people to either live in high-density […]
The Hackney Gingerbread House

Hackney London – Laura Dewe Mathews Built: 2012 Area: 80 m2 (864 sq. ft.) It’s always interesting seeing what an architect designs and builds for themselves. In this instance, it’s a one bed, home built on the site of, and using some of the structure of, an old box factory. The […]
Keyhole House – EASTERN Design Office

A Vancouver Coachhouse

Vancouver Canada – Birmingham and Wood Built area: 1,000 sq. ft. (92.6 m2) Photography: John Smith The drive for urban infill continues in Vancouver as it does in most cities around the globe. Infill lots are typically small and usually have limitations as to the size of the home that can be built on […]
Outside in – Inside out

Seya, Kanagawa Japan – Makoto Tanijiri Lot Size: 73 m2 (788 sq. ft.) Year built: 2011 Most of us have a perception of the ‘built environment’ that is very ordered and neat – polished and refined with smooth finishes and a ‘conventional appearance. Yet, on a global scale, that perception is not the norm. Most humans live […]