grid of operable windows fronts slender residence by okuwada architects in osaka

Okuwada Architects completes narrow residence in osaka

House in Abeno by Okuwada Architects is situated on a narrow 45.2-square-meter site in Osaka, adjacent to a bustling shopping arcade. The two-story wooden residence feels open and connected to the city through its grid of full-height windows and terraces.

Given the site’s width of only 2.73 meters, the architects avoid enclosing the home with solid walls that would make it feel smaller; instead, they prioritize large windows with a facade composed of stacked aluminum-framed openings that capture fragments of the surrounding houses, the street across the road, and the arcade beyond. The living room on the second floor features a wall of glass that opens the home to the sounds and atmosphere of the neighborhood: the calls of the greengrocer and the background music of the arcade. 

the House in Abeno connects with a local shopping arcade

The Osaka-based Okuwada Architects draws on Osaka’s tradition of community-run shopping arcades, which are collectively maintained and cleaned by local residents. Positioned beside one such arcade, House in Abeno enables its owners to take part in this collaborative upkeep. Two terraces on the upper floors connect the home to the arcade roof, allowing residents to step directly onto it to assist with maintenance. ‘I hope that this house will transcend boundaries and connect architecturally with the arcade and neighboring residences, becoming a presence that embraces the city,’ lead architect Ken Okuwada explains. If similar houses were to multiply, the arcade roof could evolve into a continuous pedestrian ‘aerial road’ that extends the city’s social fabric above ground level. The first-floor approach is paved in the same asphalt as the road, creating a welcoming threshold and suggesting that the home belongs as much to its surroundings as it does to its inhabitants.

The building achieves openness through two load-bearing walls that are placed along the 45-degree corners of the site, distributing forces diagonally in both directions and eliminating the need for bracing across the glazed southern facade. A slanted wall on the third floor, formed by the diagonal road line, acts as a structural support while maintaining a comfortable ceiling height. 

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project info:

name: House in Abeno

architect: Okuwada Architects | @okuwada_architects

location: Abeno Ward, Osaka, Japan

design team: Ken Okuwada, Yuji Aoki

construction: Katayama Architects

photographer: Keijiro Yamada