Tokyo, Japan

Hiroyuki Unemori designed this small house located in a dense Tokyo neighborhood in an area of just 26 square metres and used the small space to its architectural utmost.

The small house was built from several stacked boxes wrapped in corrugated steel on a small plot in the Japanese capital.

Named “House Tokyo,” the house was conceived to make most of a small plot of land in a densely populated neighborhood area in Tokyo.

The office designed the house around a wooden framework and sheathed the outer cement walls in industrial corrugated galvanized steel and cleverly punctured the façade with large square windows.

In order to allow greater light to penetrate inside and to avoid the dense, compact urban area feeling of the neighboring properties, Unemori slightly offset the house leaving a small gap between its neighbors, which also allowed for better views of the sky, air, and sunlight to penetrate within.

Large, randomly place expanse fenestration break down the bulk and density of the industrial corrugated steel façade and articulate the resulting geometric part of the house.

On the inside, Unemori staggered the ceiling heights from 1.9 metres to 4.7 meters creating spaces for a bedroom, a dining area, and an open-plan kitchen.

He used natural wood ceilings, floor tiles, and steel stairs to articulate the interior surfaces giving the home a warm industrialized feeling.

As a result, this tiny, urban gem is well suited for this small family and a wonderful contemporary addition to the neighborhood.

Project: Hiroyuki Unemori House Tokyo
Architects: Unemori Architects
Client: Private
Photographers: Kai Nakamura