Japanese Architecture

September 18, 2023

“I want to allow nature to design the building”: Meet Tokyo-based architect, Hiroshi Nakamura

Hiroshi Nakamura is doing some of the most interesting work on the contemporary Japanese architectural scene. From residential to retail and urban to rural, his practice is one to keep an eye on for observers in Australia and elsewhere.

August 23, 2023

A void, its tree and the journey through a tight terrace home

Designers continue to find ways of turning narrow terrace houses into dynamic, light-filled and desirable spaces. In Sydney’s Inner West, Ahron Best Architects centred it all on a small void.

March 13, 2023

A new artisanal experience in Kyoto

Maana Kiyomizu offers a modern take on the traditional machiya, complete with a café and shop selling Japanese craft.

June 1, 2022

Old world charm

An ageing traditional Japanese house is sensitively restored and added to by Roovice.

November 17, 2021

A Small Home Pitched like a Tent

Surrounded by greenhouses in Japan's Nagaoka city, Niigata prefecture, Hara House is a small home in an agricultural village designed to foster community.

May 11, 2020

A Row House With Two Faces In Hikone, Japan

Yoshitaka Kuga of Japan-based practice, Hearth Architects, designed Hikone House to have two different faces for two different outlooks.

January 20, 2020

First Appearances Are Deceptive In This Japanese Row House

Designed by Arbol, this Japanese row house appears as a closed, flat form. But once inside, the interior is open and layered, filled with sunlight and fresh air.

October 24, 2019

Three Kitchens That Intuitively Respond To User Needs

In its own way, shape, and form, each of these kitchens from the 2019 Habitus House of the Year selection is an intuitive – not to mention beautiful – articulation of its user’s lifestyle and needs.

September 12, 2019

HouseLab And Killing Matt Woods Re-Imagine Apartment Living

The multi-residential building game has long been a developer-driven one. One where the notion of a building as a commodity reigns supreme, and design-thinking, sustainability and end-user needs are more like an afterthought than guiding principles.

October 11, 2018

Crossing The Threshold

Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects design a mountainside house with thresholds that heighten the character of the residence and its views.

May 8, 2018

Modernist Architecture And Australiana Collide

This waterfront retreat designed by iconic Australian-Japanese architect Koichi Takada is the epitome of an Australian dream home, adorned with a private beach, garden and open-plan living.