Suggesting vs. Defining Boundaries

How Japanese architects make the most of their tiny plots of land

By Mio Kobayashi

In small, densely populated areas like Japan, an architect’s job is not only to make their client’s dream house with maximum utility and comfort, but also to do this on a tiny plot of land. Building kyoushou jyuutaku, or “micro-houses,” is a way for an architect to showcase his talents by proving that a compact home can also be spacious.

To build a client’s dream home on a plot of land the size of a public bus, many Japanese architects employ this simple rule: if boundaries can’t be stretched horizontally, you stretch them out vertically. In the works of architects like Tadao Ando and Souichi Kubo, vertical boundaries (aka floors) are cleverly eliminated to create a freer environment within tight walls. The luxury of having higher ceilings and atria creates the illusion of greater space.

Easy as it may be to eliminate bits of the floor, it is more difficult to work with horizontal boundaries unless clients are comfortable with living in a wall-less home. However, there are ways to manipulate these boundaries to make them less obstructive and oppressive. New materials like air-filled glass blocks and polycarbonate sheets are a great cross between your regular brick or concrete and the beautifully impractical glass walls. They provide a moderate amount of insulation and allow enough natural light into homes to create the impression of freedom.

Boundaries within homes are usually defined by walls, but modern Japanese architecture suggests that walls are not always a necessity. More value is placed on “suggesting” boundaries rather than “defining” them, based around the concept of making a compact home feel spacious. Creating half-stories where a tabletop is the extension of a floor may seem like a foreign idea, but it stops your kitchen from feeling like an enclosed space and allows a house to be a home instead of a collection of separate rooms.

Making space look larger than it is has become an intellectual challenge proposed by the rising prices of land and growing population. Whilst Japanese architects have had to adopt various methods already and it is almost second-nature to them to suggest space rather than to define it, the time may soon come when the world needs to accommodate its overflowing population by manipulating boundaries within homes.