More Interesting Japanese Homes from ADH Architects

I continue to be infatuated with modern Japanese dwellings. I like the aesthetic, to be sure, but I'm also impressed with the way they challenge convention, particularly compared to typical Western notions of what a family home should be.

I just came across the work of the Tokyo based firm ADH Architects, whose two principles are Makoto Shin Watanabe and Yoko Kinoshita Watanabe. Two of their houses are featured in the book Space: Japanese Design Solutions for Compact Living by Michael Freeman (Universe Publishing, 2004, USA). In Space, Freeman says the architects "have a particular interest in designing to meet individual family needs, devising structural solutions that will help engineer a particular lifestyle." In the two houses shown, a maximum emphasis is placed on creating close family interactions. Communal areas are larger while private areas are restricted in size.

In the NT House (left two images, below) the bedrooms are small, and the entire family shares one combined room/closet/laundry space for all storage. In the TO House (right two images) the whole family - parents and two small sons - share a single common sleeping space and the children's play room has direct access from the kitchen - the busy hub of the house's main floor.













Not only do these homes look amazing, we can learn a lot from them about what we really need in our family homes - public spaces vs. private, number and size of bedrooms, arrangement of rooms to each other, purpose of rooms, approach to storage and utility spaces, etc. Is a 2500 sq-ft, 3 BR, 2 1/2 Bath, luxury master suite, home office arrangement what we really need? Is that what suits our lives best? Or if we challenge ourselves a little to open our minds can we live better in something a little different? I think so.

Image credits - book cover from Amazon.com listing, homes from ADH site.