{"id":614644,"date":"2026-09-04T20:56:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T20:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/614644\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T20:56:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T20:56:21","slug":"voids-and-vertical-space-reinterpret-traditional-japanese-machiya-on-a-compact-site-in-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/614644\/","title":{"rendered":"voids and vertical space reinterpret traditional japanese machiya on a compact site in tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Takumi Wakui + Riho Wakui Architects\u2019 House in Kagurazaka<\/p>\n

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Located on a compact 33 sqm<\/a> site in Kagurazaka, Tokyo<\/a>, this four-story wooden<\/a> residence<\/a> reinterprets the traditional Japanese machiya as a vertical dwelling. Designed by Takumi Wakui + Riho Wakui Architects as a home for an architect couple, the project examines how daylight, natural ventilation, and spatial openness can be introduced within one of Tokyo\u2019s densely built residential neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

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Research into the site\u2019s history revealed its origins in Edo-period urban subdivisions, where narrow-fronted townhouses, or machiya, developed alongside samurai estates. Successive land divisions produced the compact parcels that characterize the area today. In response to the 33 sqm footprint, the architects organized the residence vertically, extending the spatial experience through height instead of increasing the building\u2019s footprint. Each floor is assigned a distinct function, with the programs gradually transitioning from public to private toward the upper levels. This organization separates different activities without relying on conventional partition walls. A series of voids connects the floors visually and spatially, allowing the residence to operate as a continuous volume.<\/p>\n

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facade | all images \u00a9Takumi Wakui + Riho Wakui Architects<\/p>\n

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Wood, Light, and Air Shape the Contemporary Machiya in Tokyo<\/p>\n

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Large framed openings are positioned above the living room, facing the street, and within the top-floor bathroom. These openings incorporate views toward planted greenery while allowing natural light to penetrate deeper into the interior. Along the exterior, projecting side walls extend up to 800 mm from the building envelope. These elements provide environmental control by shielding the interiors from strong western sunlight while also capturing the prevailing southwesterly breeze.<\/p>\n

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The structural system combines a robust truss along the longitudinal exterior walls with a double-wall spine at the center of the building. Takumi Wakui + Riho Wakui Architects<\/a> use this configuration to provide stability while maintaining flexibility in the arrangement of the floors and allowing for potential future expansion. Connections between the interior and exterior, as well as between the individual levels, are established through a series of carefully positioned openings and voids. The resulting configuration distributes different places for occupation throughout the house, allowing its use to respond to changing daylight, airflow, and seasonal conditions within a compact urban footprint.<\/p>\n

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facade<\/p>\n

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living<\/p>\n

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living<\/p>\n

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living<\/p>\n

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living<\/p>\n

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study room<\/p>\n

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bed room<\/p>\n

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bath<\/p>\n

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bath<\/p>\n

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shelf<\/p>\n

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evening view<\/p>\n

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project info:<\/p>\n

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name: House in Kagurazaka<\/p>\n

architects: Takumi Wakui + Riho Wakui Architects<\/a><\/p>\n

location: Kagurazaka, Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n

site area: 37.89 sqm<\/p>\n

building area: 21.65 sqm<\/p>\n

total floor area: 60.44 sqm<\/p>\n

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designboom has received this project from our\u00a0DIY submissions<\/a>\u00a0feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. See more project submissions from our readers\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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edited by: Christina Vergopoulou | designboom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Takumi Wakui + Riho Wakui Architects\u2019 House in Kagurazaka \u00a0 Located on a compact 33 sqm site in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":614645,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6887,307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60,925,49408],"class_list":["post-614644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-architecture-in-tokyo","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-residential-architecture-and-interiors","tag-spaces-under-50-sqm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/614645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}