Cutting Edge Design In Japan

Japanese Urban Living
Borrowing From The Past

On a tiny plot of land, in beautiful natural surroundings, Nonjima and Hyashi have created a home that perfectly combines traditional techniques and cutting-edge design.

Like most nations, the Japanese experienced a dramatic change in lifestyle after the war. There was a huge exodus from the country to the cities as people flocked to work in offices. With the growth of the urban population, people began to commute from outlying areas to the city centres. This trend for suburban living had a profound effect on the architecture of these areas and homes there have often been built with a surprisingly adventurous spirit.

House BBH, as it was named by the architect Akira Hikone of A-H-Architects, is a modern suburban home based on sound traditional principles. 'Living in a minimal but spacious dwelling is the norm, especially around Tokyo,' says Akira. 'The plan is based on a famous minimal house called a '9-tsubo', which means the footprint is nine tsubo or 29.75 square metres.'

The dining area, with its wooden table and simple benches, is a multifunctional space that is used for socialising and eating. The staircase leads to the mezzanine bedroom and has slippers for wear inside the home neatly lined up at its foot.

Situated in Kanagawa prefecture, close to Tokyo, in a convenient location encircled by mountains and surrounded by nature, the small plot meant that Nonjima and Hyashi would only be able to fit a tiny house into the space. 'The floor area is just 66 square metres, so we decided to use the natural surroundings as a wonderful garden,' says Nonjima. 'You can really feel the endless space through the huge, open windows, a striking feature on the front façade.'

The airy mezzanine floor houses the open-plan sleeping space, which is furnished in a very minimal style with traditional Japanese wooden chests for storage and a modern TV and hi-fi system.

Essentially a large box, externally clad in corrugated iron and painted a sober dark grey, like many modern Japanese residences it is minimal, efficient and compact, devoid of much of the clutter that we in the West can't seem to live without. 'The footprint of BBH is just 41 square metres, small, indeed, but big enough to live in. It has only one private room and all the other spaces are connected within one volume, except the bathroom of course,' remarks Akira. It does, however, borrow very heavily from historical building practices.