Photographer: Toshiyuki Yano | ArchDaily

House in Kitano / Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates

Pilar Caballero — Mon, 04 May 2026 02:00:00 +0000

This project is a residential design in the Kitano area, Kobe. The city of Kobe is defined by its hilly terrain, shaped by the uplift of the Rokko mountain range, resulting in a cityscape of slopes and inclines. Within this topography, the gaze from the mountains toward the sea has long been a characteristic feature of the urban environment, passed down through generations.

Obstetrics in Nanakuma / Yoshitaka Suzuki and Associates

Miwa Negoro — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 21:00:00 +0000

An obstetrics facility in an urban area. Here, we combined the methods listed below to attempt to create a kind of "geography"—a sequence of diverse atmospheres and environments that evoke the sensation of walking through the terrain or the city streets. Through these elements, we aimed to create a place where visitors and residents feel at ease, liberated, comfortable, and supported, with a sense of discovery.

TOTTEI Green Hill / Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates

Valeria Silva — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Kobe is a city where the sea and mountains are close together, with its urban area spreading across the slopes at the base of the mountains. In the Sannomiya area, the current city center, the most important urban axis connecting the sea to the mountains is Flower Road, running north-south from Shin-Kobe Station to the port. The Second Pier, the site of this project, is located at its tip. Kobe Port prospered as a mooring facility for conventional cargo ships, but it has now completed its urban role.

Architecture as a Living Medium: Get to Know the Works of IGArchitects

Miwa Negoro — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Founded in 2020 by Masato Igarashi, IGArchitects is an architectural practice based in Tokyo and Saitama, Japan. The studio, one of the winners of the ArchDaily 2025 Next Practices Awards, explores enduring architecture through a careful yet assertive treatment of structure, scale, and materiality. Prior to establishing his own practice, Igarashi worked at the large-scale firm Shimizu Sekkei as well as the Suppose Design Office, gaining experience across projects ranging from major developments to smaller, concept-driven works. This breadth of experience continues to inform IGArchitects' current focus on residential and commercial architecture across Japan.

Bridging the Gap: 15 Atypical Living Solutions in Urban Remnants

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Designing with Vaults: 10 Residential Projects that Maximize Light and Volume

Moises Carrasco — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 07:30:00 +0000

The term vault in architecture refers to a self-supporting arched structure that forms a ceiling or roof, which can effectively create a wide, column-free space. While traditional masonry vaults transfer loads to walls and buttresses, contemporary versions are more broadly defined as any ceiling that follows the roofline, creating a high, curved interior. These modern ceilings are typically framed using materials like concrete, timber, or steel, which provide the structural flexibility to create the dramatic effect of a vault without its historical constraints. The round arch vault, in particular, seems to have been a recently favored form for its simple, elegant geometry and its ability to adapt to a variety of modern residential styles.

Kindergarten Architecture: Imaginative Spaces Shaping Childhood and Creativity

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Kindergarten architecture has long stood apart as a realm where design and imagination converge. Unlike most building typologies, these spaces are conceived not only to shelter and function but to shape the earliest experiences of curiosity, play, and social interaction. Throughout history, the design of kindergartens has evolved alongside pedagogical shifts, moving from modest, utilitarian beginnings to highly intentional environments that stimulate both learning and wonder. In this context, architecture becomes more than a backdrop — it becomes a silent educator, capable of nurturing emotional, cognitive, and physical development.

The Built Environment as a Third Teacher: Architectural Play in Japanese and Chinese Kindergartens

Moises Carrasco — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In contemporary Japanese and Chinese kindergarten design, architects are transforming the interior spaces from a simple container into an active, multi-sensory environment. This shift seems to follow Studies in developmental psychology that suggest that a child's experience of space begins with a sensorimotor engagement through touch and manipulation. Thus, they place a strong emphasis on the use of materials and the approach of learning through play. Architects seem to be moving beyond traditional classrooms, into environments that are tactile, stimulating, and rooted in their specific contexts. The buildings themselves become tools for education, encouraging children to learn and explore through direct physical engagement.

House in Nishitanabe / FujiwaraMuro Architects

Miwa Negoro — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 19:00:00 +0000

We received a request for a detached house in a conveniently located area in Osaka City. The surrounding area permits the construction of large buildings such as condominiums, and visibility from neighboring houses is a matter of concern.

House in Hirano / FujiwaraMuro Architects

Miwa Negoro — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 02:00:00 +0000

The site is in a residential area in Osaka City. The client purchased a plot of land　subdivided into lots for ready-built houses, and the project began. The plot purchased was a flagpole lot. However, given that we could use up to 3 meters of the width of the pole section, we had some room to manipulate.

Spaces for Wellness: Integrating Fitness into Everyday Environments

Paula Pintos — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000

As cities continue to grow and daily realities shift rapidly, people are turning to new and evolving ways to maintain their well-being. While promoting active lifestyles has long been a focus for many planners and architects, through pedestrian- and bike-friendly cities, parks, and fitness or sports centers, recent times have shown that these publicly valued facilities are not always accessible. A clear solution has emerged in recent years, accelerated by the global pandemic in 2020. Both homes and workplaces have begun to adapt their interior spaces, incorporating designated areas and equipment to support physical activity and provide opportunities for movement during the day.

Oshigome Base / HAYATO KOMATSU ARCHITECTS

Miwa Negoro — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 20:00:00 +0000

The site is located in the mountains of Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, with a reservoir called Honjo Suigenchi to the east and Niko River leading to Kure Bay in front of it. To the west are a series of mountains centering on Mt. Ege, and at the foot of the mountains, old and new houses stand side by side along the contour line. The owner, who has been running a construction company in the area for a long time, had a strong desire to create a building that would contribute to the local community, and in addition to the functions of office and residence, he wanted the building to serve as a "meeting place" for the community.

House Y / Hayato Komatsu Architects

Miwa Negoro — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 17:00:00 +0000

A Landscape Connected in Multiple Directions - The site is a vast, flat area surrounded by a grove of mixed trees. Walking through the site reveals a variety of views, each expressing the richness of its natural setting. Two views stand out in particular: the sunset over the Seto Inland Sea to the northwest, and the sweeping mountain range rising to the southeast. Rather than simply accepting this expansive land and striking scenery as they are, we sought to design an architecture that establishes connections with the environment in multiple directions.

Hokusetsu Polygon House / FujiwaraMuro Architects

Hana Abdel — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The site faces a greenbelt across the road with a 2-meter difference in elevation within it. We wanted to design a residence that would utilize this greenbelt as a backdrop and maintain continuity with the hilly streetscape.

PAL International School@TUFS / Naf Architect & Design

Hana Abdel — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 20:00:00 +0000

An international school that provides a nursery and after-school program designed on the campus of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. The site was designated at the end of a tree-lined avenue extending from the university’s central plaza. It was a hill-like place with a height difference of about 2 meters, and I was told that the hill was made of leftover soil that had been piled up when the student dormitory next to it was built. The site was segregated by a surrounding chain link fence, and it seemed detached from the entire campus as being located at the far end, where weeds grow so thick that you might hesitate to enter in the summer. There was a cut in the center that divided the hill into two, and a smoking area was set up at the back, probably because it was out of sight from the surrounding area.

Drawer Balcony House / Naf Architect & Design

Hana Abdel — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 02:00:00 +0000

The balcony protrudes toward the front road, creating a garden-like space in the air. It’s a 6.5-tatami mat or 12 sqm space with privacy and security in mind, where you can use in many ways such as enjoy outdoor dining, place pots of plants, drink beer in the evening breeze, or pull out a chair and read a book on a sunny day. The owner’s beloved car fits nicely under the balcony.

House in Kosai / FujiwaraMuro Architects

Hana Abdel — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 23:00:00 +0000

A house for a couple and their two kids in a neighborhood in Kosai, Shizuoka prefecture. The design was driven by a desire to live in a house where each space is small but partially interconnected so residents can sense and imagine the space ahead. The clients also expressed that they did not want to live in a box but in a pitched roof house that could go with a wood carved bear. They preferred a facade that opens onto the street side, and an enclosed but central kitchen where the presence of the whole family can be felt. They also wanted to be able to circulate around the whole house.

House in Muko / Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates

Hana Abdel — Tue, 28 May 2024 07:00:00 +0000

This is a project to rebuild an old house in Muko City, in Kyoto prefecture. Farmland and bamboo forests spread surrounding the site. Since ancient times, the area has been delimited by stone walls and dotted with farm-style habitations, each consisting of a main house and a cluster of several other residences forming a single habitation. In recent years, due to the rapid urbanization in the center of Kyoto, many farm-style houses have been demolished and dismantled. The land has subsequently been subdivided into a patchwork of historical residences and new habitations irrespective of the history of the prefecture.