This project is a wooden house built on a corner lot within a lush green urbanization control area, where two roads intersect. Because it was anticipated that developing the land—including farmland conversion, obtaining development permits, and installing a septic tank—would be a challenging and time-consuming process before a residence could be built, the house was designed as a compact L-shaped plan with a total floor area of under 100 square meters. As a response to the clients’ wish to achieve a rich lifestyle within a compact footprint, the design explores the idea of “architecture as furniture.” At the boundary between the entrance and the living-dining-kitchen, as well as between the children’s room and the corridor, shelving units were used instead of plain walls, integrating partitions with storage. In the living room, a level difference and a low shelf along the window serve multiple functions—as storage, a TV stand, or even a bench where one can sit and enjoy the view on sunny days. The project grew from the idea that spaces become richer when they allow room to imagine and experiment with different ways of living day to day.
Residence @ Takasaki, Gunma Design: Rei Oshima, Mami Umayahara /SNARK Inc. Construction: Sakura Construction Total area: 95.94㎡ (1F/50.10㎡ 2F/45.84㎡) Completion: Sep. 2024 Photo: Ippei Shinzawa
House in Tourimachi, the two-family house with 3 stories is located in Takasaki city, Gunma. It takes one hour from Tokyo by the Shinkansen. The site has a frontage of 6 meters, depth of 13 meters, which makes a 89㎡ long and narrow land shape. On the south is the 4 meters wide road, sharing northeastern border with a cemetery and otherwise surrounded by three-storey houses. The client wanted a well lighted and ventilated double house duplex to share with their parents. We designed the ground floor for the parents and the 2nd and 3rd floor for the children of the family. Considering the cemetery as a universal opened space located besides residential area, we were able to create a preferable atmosphere together with a certain level of privacy. Windows opened toward the cemetery and the three-layered stairwell on the northern part provided a steady amount of light and ventilation. And by sharing the whole atmosphere within the house, while having diferrent life style, the two generations, will be able to cherish their relationship more. The main design of this architecture is the roof wrapping up the whole house, embodying the cohabitation of two generations, and working as a shade at the same time with the southward expanded eaves. This house has a slab beam sloping irrelevantly against the plan, and this helps connect the room within this compact space without constructing a pillar inside. There is no wall built laterally to the beams, the beam creates a separation and delivers an open space. The wall gives direction to the space instead of being the end of it. The whole architecture is connected with an environmental stairwell, free line beams, and the roof wrapping them up.House in Tourimachi, the two-family house with 3 stories is located in Takasaki city, Gunma. It takes one hour from Tokyo by the Shinkansen. The site has a frontage of 6 meters, depth of 13 meters, which makes a 89㎡ long and narrow land shape. On the south is the 4 meters wide road, sharing northeastern border with a cemetery and otherwise surrounded by three-storey houses.The client wanted a well lighted and ventilated double house duplex to share with their parents. We designed the ground floor for the parents and the 2nd and 3rd floor for the children of the family. Considering the cemetery as a universal opened space located besides residential area, we were able to create a preferable atmosphere together with a certain level of privacy.Windows opened toward the cemetery and the three-layered stairwell on the northern part provided a steady amount of light and ventilation. And by sharing the whole atmosphere within the house, while having diferrent life style, the two generations, will be able to cherish their relationship more. The main design of this architecture is the roof wrapping up the whole house, embodying the cohabitation of two generations, and working as a shade at the same time with the southward expanded eaves. This house has a slab beam sloping irrelevantly against the plan, and this helps connect the room within this compact space without constructing a pillar inside.
Residence @ Takasaki, Gunma Design: Sunao Koase, Naoki Mashiyama /SNARK Inc. ＋ Shin Yokoo /OUVI Structural engineer: Shin Yokoo /OUVI Construction: 宮下工業 Site area: 87.79㎡ Built area: 44.11㎡ Floor area: 108.59㎡ Number of floors: 3 Structure: Wood Timeline: Design Sep.2012-Sep.2013 Construction Oct.2013-Jun.2014 Completion: Jul. 2014 Photo: Ippei Shinzawa
Located at the foot of Mt. Haruna in suburban Maebashi, this wooden two-story residence was born from the clients’ deliberate selection of a site at the confluence of two rivers. The surrounding landscape is defined by an organic network of small waterways that meander through fields and homes, creating a pastoral scene where the boundaries between the natural and the built are blurred. While currently an expansive agricultural area, it is a region on the cusp of suburban transformation. The clients, drawn to the wild abundance of wildflowers and the richness of the riverbanks, sought a home that felt deeply rooted in the soil rather than detached from it. The architecture traces the trajectory of the river, taking the form of a slender volume that pivots at three distinct angles. By connecting the vertices of each section, the roof forms a rhythmic ridgeline that not only moderates the building’s scale but also echoes the surrounding landscape—from the flow of the water and the trees on the sandbanks to the distant mountain silhouettes. This strategic placement carves out a garden that remains permeable to the landscape while providing a sanctuary from the harsh western sun and northern winds. The interior is conceived as a continuous sequence, where the entrance, kitchen, and living areas flow together with minimal partitioning. Instead of physical walls, the varied planes of the ceiling loosely delineate the different zones. Within each volume, two distinct roof finishes coexist, creating a spatial depth where functions overlap and boundaries dissolve depending on one’s vantage point. As the undulating rural terrain is increasingly leveled for suburban development, the design uses the remaining topography—the rivers and sandbanks—as anchors for daily life. The result is a residence intended to evolve in harmony with the land, preserving the memory of the landscape within the rhythm of domestic life.
A vertical void makes relationshipsA wooden 2-story house for a family built in the downtown area of Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, which has also a hair salon that runs by the owner. Parking lots are set to the front road and the opposite side of the house is used as a private garden. While the hair salon is opening whole other rooms should be silent. This family has 2 children though they might make some noise after school or Sunday afternoon. The vertical void is sandwiched between the hair salon and their activity rooms and the vertical void solves to sound and vibration problem in a wooden structure especially. Of course it is better ventilation and getting sun light, part of circulation.expose/envelopeThe wooden structure is built to support a divided 2 volumes. But in the interior, the structure is not thought of as a structural frame which is thought of as a finishing material. This means that the interior is designed by partially exposing or enveloping of the structural frame. The hair salon and living room are trapezoidal as floor shape. In this case, if the beams are arranged at equidistant, the beam height will increase according to the lengths. Utilizing this, we envelop the beams, which became larger due to the longer span on the second floor to put the equipment inside it. And partially expose the beams to keep the ceiling height of the hair salon. On the other hand, in order to unify the beam height of the roof, the distance between the beams is adjusted. As a result, roof beams created a sense of depth in the living room interesting in perspective view. The idea of “expose/envelop” is also related to design the doors, door handles, benches, counters, etc. By exposing or enveloping partially, the structure frame is weakened as physically, and showing it more materially. Thereby we could handle a structural frame as an element of the interior, such as furniture. We are designing architecture by thinking in terms of “structural frame or interior element”, means not what Structural frame becomes interior element as straightforward.A wooden 2-story house for a family built in the downtown area of Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, which has also a hair salon that runs by the owner. Parking lots are set to the front road and the opposite side of the house is used as a private garden. While the hair salon is opening whole other rooms should be silent. This family has 2 children though they might make some noise after school or Sunday afternoon. The vertical void is sandwiched between the hair salon and their activity rooms and the vertical void solves to sound and vibration problem in a wooden structure especially. Of course it is better ventilation and getting sun light, part of circulation.expose/envelope
This two-story wooden residence in Kiryu, Gunma, occupies a unique L-shaped lot with two street frontages. By positioning the house centrally to separate the parking from the garden, the design aligns all primary living spaces to the south, featuring a window nook that offers quiet views of the greenery. The plan fosters a lifestyle integrated with an evolving garden, while the materials and color palettes were meticulously balanced to harmonize the client’s antique collection with newly curated lighting.
Residence @ Kiryu, Gunma Design: Rei Oshima, Takeo Arika, Noriko Koba /SNARK Inc. Construction: Sakura Construction Total area: 92.74㎡ (1F/46.37㎡ 2F/46.37㎡) Completion: Jun. 2024 Photo: Ippei Shinzawa
This is a two-family house located in a residential neighborhood of Itabashi, Tokyo, with the parents living on the first floor and the children’s family on the second. The first floor is designed for simplicity and ease of movement, centering around the bedroom and wet areas, with windows facing a neighboring pathway that bring in a sense of the changing seasons. On the second floor, the layout is divided lengthwise into private rooms and the living-dining-kitchen area. The high ceiling allows for lofts above the private rooms, used to store books and hobby items. At the landing of the staircase connecting the two households, a small study has been placed to provide a quiet and focused workspace, set apart from the other rooms. By structuring the house vertically, the design makes the most of the limited space while aiming to create a home that balances daily life with the belongings and activities of its residents.
Residence @ Itabashi, Tokyo Design: Sunao Koase, (Ayaka Seki) /SNARK Inc. Structural design: Shusaku Ota /Paterson Inc. Construction: Eishin Construction Total area: 94.38㎡ (1F/47.34㎡ 2F/47.04㎡ loft/21.73㎡ balcony/7.92㎡) Completion: Nov. 2024 Photo: Yasuyuki Takaki
This mobile hut with cooking facilities was designed for use at events on the roof of Tokyu Plaza Omotesando ‘Omokado’. It will be stored in an underground warehouse except when events are being held. Therefore, it was designed with an area of 1.2㎡ and a height of 2m to fit in the loading lift. The front door opens upward and downward to form a counter and eaves. The doorways on either side are designed so that they can be connected when several huts are placed side by side. The hut is equipped with the minimum cooking facilities required to obtain a restaurant licence from the health care center, including a two-tank sink, a water heater, a refrigerator and an induction cooker. As the smallest mobile restaurant, this small hut will greatly expand the possibilities for the use of open space.
Small hut @ Harajuku, Tokyo Client: TOKYU LAND CORPORATION Design: Yu Yamada, Mami Umayahara /SNARK Inc. Construction: DoubleBox Total Area: 1.2㎡ Completion: Apr. 2024 Photo: Ippei Shinzawa
This project is a newly built residence with a hair salon on the ground floor, located in a rural area surrounded by expansive rice fields and a rich natural landscape. The site sits adjacent to the client’s family farmhouse—set among barns, storage sheds, and paddies—and was created by partially converting one of those paddies into residential land. The design of the house responds to the main house and the surrounding agricultural scenery, aiming to integrate gently into its context. Initially, the plan was to place the building toward the northern edge of the site to allow for a large south-facing garden, maximizing sunlight while taking into account that the adjacent southern lots are being developed as residential land. However, through a series of site studies conducted with the client, who is a landscape architect, the final layout was shifted to harmonize with the spatial sequence formed by the main house, the rice fields to the north, the planned garden, and the new residence. A large gabled roof opens toward the rice fields, with generous windows oriented to bring the view deep into both the living space and the salon, while still ensuring ample daylight. Inside, the salon is positioned along the street-facing side, unified under the same roof as the home. To separate the two functions in daily life, the design incorporates elements such as a double-height space and adjacent wet areas to buffer sound, allowing the salon to operate independently from the living quarters. The interior finishes are also carefully considered, with contrasting yet complementary tones and textures that create a sense of distinction between work and private life while maintaining overall coherence. The building is surrounded by new planting that blends with the existing rural landscape, allowing each space within the home to remain connected to nature. This integration not only offers a changing seasonal experience but also a sense of lasting familiarity—one that gently supports the comfort and well-being of those who live there.
Residence @ Kawagoe, Saitama Design: Rei Oshima, Mako Shimanuki /SNARK Inc. Construction: BEACON WORKS Total area: 125.24㎡ (1F/82.61㎡ 2F/42.63㎡) Completion: Feb. 2024 Photo: Makoto Yoshida
This three-story wooden house is located in a dense wooden residential area in Kitasenju, Tokyo. Given the limited site area and the dense residential environment, we designed the structure to ensure livability and privacy. The three volumes are arranged diagonally in plan to keep the distance from the front road and surrounding buildings. In order to place the living room on the third floor, which has a higher floor height than the surrounding buildings, the ceiling of the first floor was raised to create a space that can be used as storage and a store. Bedrooms with low ceilings are placed on the second floor, and by varying the ceiling height on each floor, the high ceiling of the first floor and the openness of the third floor are emphasized. The staircase runs from the first floor to the loft, and the triangular atrium in the storage room on the first floor provide light and ventilation. In order to emphasize the frame of the three volumes, the height of each beam is unified, and where the beams are long, two beams are joined to reduce the height of the beams. The beams that protrude from the walls are used as bookshelves and storage for small items.
Residence @ Kitasenju, Tokyo Design: Yu Yamada, Mami Umayahara /SNARK Inc. Structural design: Shin Yokoo /OUVI Construction: Eishin Construction Steel products: gambit Total area: 111.68㎡ (1F/35.22㎡ 2F/35.12㎡ 3F/36.76㎡ PH/4.58㎡) Completion: Dec. 2023 Photo: Ippei Shinzawa
This project is a compact house built on a 44.58-square-meter site in a residential neighborhood near Inokashira Park. The design aimed to maximize comfort within a limited volume. The second-floor living-dining-kitchen area, where the family spends most of their time, features a high ceiling to create a sense of openness. While neighboring houses are set back from the street due to height restrictions based on the slant plane regulation, this house uses the sky factor method to ease those constraints. This allowed the living spaces to be positioned closer to the street, opening up views toward the setback areas of adjacent properties and establishing a connection with the surrounding urban fabric. A central staircase runs through all three floors and incorporates built-in bookshelves and small alcove niches, functioning as furniture elements. Rather than serving solely as circulation, the stair becomes a place in itself—an inhabited passage that fosters relationships between floors. The result is a cohesive home where each level feels meaningfully connected.
Residence @ Mitaka, Tokyo Design: Sunao Koase, Ayaka Seki /SNARK Inc. Structural design: Kakeru Tsuruta /TECTONICA Inc. Construction: Eishin Construction Total area: 87.18㎡ (1F/29.06㎡ 2F/29.06㎡ 3F/29.06㎡) Completion: Feb. 2024 Photo: Ippei Shinzawa
