Miurashin Architect+Associates

This tiny house in inner-city Tokyo sits just three minutes from the bustling Yotsuya-Sanchome train station. Constructed from 150mm x 150mm x 12mm L-shaped steel pieces produced in a factory, the rigid frame was assembled on site using a crane.

The L-shaped pieces were then welded together where they met.These small stackable units represent a solution with the potential for mass production to the problem of residential building in crowded urban environments.

From the entrance to the roof-top garden, the design alternates between small and large, high and low. The use of the L-shaped units, which are connected in some places and separated in others, along with the contrast between light and shade and the handling of the line of sight, combine to make the residence feel more spacious than it actually is.