- Project: Home for Family
- Architect: Koki Sugawara Architects
- Location: Japan
- Year: 2022
- Area: 84 m2
- Photography: Hirota Tatsuya
A Renovation Rooted in Memory and Adaptability
Home for Family by Koki Sugawara Architects is more than a renovation—it is an act of preservation and reinvention. Designed for a young family inheriting the client’s parents’ house in Japan, the project carefully balances present needs with the potential for future multi-generational living.
Faced with a large, two-story structure of approximately 178 square meters, the architects determined that a full renovation would be impractical. Instead, they concentrated on the second floor as the family’s main living area while leaving the first floor minimally altered for future use by the parents. This approach ensured efficiency while retaining flexibility for evolving family dynamics.
Light, Air, and Courtyard Living
In dense Japanese neighborhoods, natural light and ventilation are often compromised by proximity to adjacent buildings. To overcome this, Koki Sugawara Architects introduced a glass roof section and sliding doors, transforming part of the second floor into a semi-outdoor courtyard-like space.
This intervention functions as a veranda or internal courtyard, channeling daylight deep into the home while encouraging cross-ventilation. The result is a dynamic living environment where indoor and outdoor qualities merge, enhancing both comfort and atmosphere.
Material Palette and Tactile Experience
The renovation goes beyond structural changes by focusing on the tactile quality of everyday life. Flooring materials vary across spaces, with tiles, hardwood, sisal, and FRP used to emphasize shifts in function and atmosphere. This layering of textures allows occupants to feel transitions underfoot, reinforcing the architectural narrative of adaptability and variation.
Contrasting with the simplicity of the first floor, the second floor becomes an experiential journey—one that evolves from intimate family areas to shared, light-filled spaces.
A Model for Contemporary Japanese Living
By carefully evaluating the scale of the home, introducing light-filled interventions, and embracing flexible spatial strategies, Koki Sugawara Architects have crafted a residence that respects its past while serving the future.
Home for Family is not just a renovation; it is an architectural reflection of Japanese urban life—where modest interventions can transform inherited structures into sustainable, multi-generational homes.
