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wedged into the
densed landscape of downtown tokyo, is a phenomenon that's uniquely Japanese, ultra compact dwellings
that defy conventional notions of design
a growing number of urbanites are calling these one-of-a-kind architectural gems
"home sweet home"
introducing the Japanese "micro house"
buildings that makes stylish virtue out of necessity
in one of the most crowded cities on earth
it's making and art out of
the compactness of it all
architect and author asby brown says the micro house boom started to gain traction about a decade ago
architect and author asby brown says the micro house boom started to gain traction about a decade ago
there was a big shift in attitude
where people were sort of
assuming they would not be able to build a big house
but we're very happy to have
a really superbly designed compact house
and this started some kind of a trend and a lot of architects were very very happy to
have projects like that because they thought it would really show off their ability
and homeowners were really happy to have something that they could feel as a
cutting edge design as well
this black triangle on a busy thoroughfare in downtown tokyo
this black triangle on a busy thoroughfare in downtown tokyo
is part of one of the hottest trends in Japanese architecture right now, something called "cueshew jewtacu"
or "micro house"
whimsical, little bit wacky, but surprisingly utilitarian
these dwellings are built on an impossibly tiny plots of land
"soury ugutchy" moved into the triangle house with his wife
five years ago
like typical middle-class families
the couple never dreamed of owning a home with a prime tokyo address
but then, they got their dream house in miniature
but then, they got their dream house in miniature
I got a twenty percent discount on the property because the corners of the triangle
are considered worthless for building on
even by microhouse standards
this property can seem claustrophobic
needless to say in such tight quarters
not a single nook ,nor cranny is overlooked
the staircase doubles as shoe closet ,the kitchen is tiny but functional, and hidden below the
floor gate ,not just crawl space
floor gate ,not just crawl space
but enough room to tuck away an entire library
in the super compact dwellings even entire rooms do double or triple duty
ugutchy who's an art dealer
uses the first floor as an office
this house is only about three hundred square feet or about thirty square meters, now for
a micro house
thats on the small size
and the key to living well in a tiny house like this one
it's rooms have to be used for more than one purpose
in this case the house is used during the day as a business office
after hours when the curtains go down
it turns into a living room, dining room
a place for this couple to relax
such ingenious use of space is second nature to Japanese designers
who can draw on centuries of experience in small dwellings
who can draw on centuries of experience in small dwellings
kyoto's traditional merchant houses were also a long and narrow
with inner gardens that allowed in natural light
a single room would surve as bedroom ,dining room , and a living room,all in one, this is the same idea
a single room would surve as bedroom ,dining room , and a living room,all in one, this is the same idea
but small house design also calls for a bit of visual alchemy
yachio house approached by a fifty year old architect yasohiro yamashita
painstakingly arranges features like picture windows and a small garden
painstakingly arranges features like picture windows and a small garden
to create the illusion of roominess
lay people our clients
tend to think of space in just one dimension
in other words
how much floor space there is, but architects also worked with a vertical and
depth's dimentions , we look at homes in 3D, you can make a space seem bigger
for instance simply by adjusting the height of the room
60 to 70% of human perception is visual
so I'm very meticulous about where the eye falls
there is a garden over there, so that makes this space feel bigger
there is a garden over there, so that makes this space feel bigger
on the outside
the effect can be curious even quirky
yamashita says his mission is to make
home owners feel as if their houses actually larger that it is
its like billiards
you size up the space as your eyes bounces off walls
so if the walls seem further away you feel as if you're in a larger room
and this house is made from a frame of tember recycled from one hundred-year-old rice
warehouses and brought to the site
the house itself is only about ninety square meters or about nine hundred square feet in size
its tiny ,but
the strategically placed windows
allow lots of soft natural light to filter in
and it gives the illusion of the house the more spacious than it actually is
miserly floor space was seen less as blessing than curse in the years immediately
after world war two
when the government rushed to throw up blocks
of functional yet sterryl apartment complexes
known as "danchi"
the danchi would become a badge of humiliation, Japanese exports part a backlash in their foreign markets
the danchi would become a badge of humiliation, Japanese exports part a backlash in their foreign markets
in nineteen seventy nine, one European official charged that japan's sheet exports
we're being underwritten by the low living standards of its citizens
the Japanese; he said where workaholics
the Japanese; he said where workaholics
living in rabbit hutches , the post-war situation for Japan was really an incredible
emergency in terms of housing ,people where
living in corrugated tin shacks
living in corrugated tin shacks
and really had nothing at all so
they're willing to accept what we would consider substandard housing in those first
post-war decades in order to have a roof over their heads
post-war decades in order to have a roof over their heads
that's where this whole bad attitude about
the rabbit hutch comes
today ,Japanese cities are as congested as ever
today ,Japanese cities are as congested as ever
portable housing on desirable downtown sites is still out of reach for many, but the tech
revolution has transformed house building
number crunching involved in structural engineering has been automated
so houses can be custom built for
fraction of what they would have cost a generation ago ,and that has opened up odd parcels of land
all over town
once considered worthless
for human habitation
the biggest reason for micro houses is IT , what used to take a year
the biggest reason for micro houses is IT , what used to take a year
can now be done in a matter of hours
and once "unheard of" building materials
like airfield glass blocks
are yealding fancyful creations
like this glittering mini home called
crystal brick
or an avant garde cube for two with concealed windows
fashioned entirely from prestress concrete
the old rabbit hutch
never look so good
one of the more fascinating
one of the more fascinating
aspects of the whole phenomenon here
the ultra compact house would be
the change in people's attitudes
that rabbit hutch slur really stun Japanese people, they really felt
insulted in the one hand and inferior on the other hand and, it was really
a very big stigma
that that people felt
about their housing conditions
what I detect since about the year 2000
is that people
on the other hand now feel happier
on the other hand now feel happier
with a small house
young couples and single householders
like sixty one-year-old shigeru suzuki
are the main customers for micro house which account for less than one percent
of the estimated billion dollar market
in architect designed homes here
micro houses
are not for the pack rat with lots of possessions
but the houses do allow their homeowners to indulge in whimsy
and tailor their dwellings to fit their personalities
suzuki ,a small house consultant himself
suzuki ,a small house consultant himself
owns a boxcar house that is just one hundred eighty centimeters wide
but long enough
to house a kyoto style inner garden
the land in house may be small
but with this inner garden you can see the sky ,so it feels very spacious
regular houses in tokyo or Japan don't have interior garden, with this you don't feel cramped
regular houses in tokyo or Japan don't have interior garden, with this you don't feel cramped
for japan's architects
micro houses have become an intellectual challenge
a chance to reinvent the meaning of shelter from scratch
with micro house the usual rules for home building go
out the window, for example we can get rid of the foyer in the hallway to free up more
space, we can also make up our own ideas for storage
space, we can also make up our own ideas for storage
japan's micro homes are starting to gain attention overseas
new York city is looking at the micro houses
as an alternative for its ever expanding population
in further large cities wherever space is at a premium
the micro houses is proving
that compact doesn't have to mean cramped
subtitled by Technigeek