Kinuta
Kinuta is a residential house built on a narrow urban plot in Tokyo, Japan. The site is 3.6 m wide, and setback rules reduce the effective frontage to under 2.6 m. The living, dining, and kitchen area is placed on the second floor to gain privacy and southern daylight. A walled courtyard with a timber deck and planted green walls turns the setback zone into a quiet outdoor room. The entrance, corridor, and stair form a linear sequence that emphasizes depth. Dark ceramic siding with a dry joint system keeps the facade joints continuous, including at corners.
Kinuta Residential House by Nobuaki Miyashita was recognized as an exceptional representation of architectural design by the A' Design Awards. Kinuta Residential House won the Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design in 2026. The A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award is a highly prestigious international design competition that rewards exceptional design of skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions, religious structures, infrastructure designs, landscaping projects and more.
