Introduction to the Blue House

In London, FAT Architecture‘s Blue House sits along the steady line of Hackney Road in Bethnal Green, where its vivid facade disrupts the rhythm of the streetscape. Designed by Sean Griffiths, now founder of English studio ModernArchitect, the house is now listed for sale. Now, design lovers can take a fresh look at a work that has long held its place as a marker of early-2000s design.

From the sidewalk, its blue cladding and crenellated parapet create a confident silhouette against the muted tones of the street. The building’s profile expresses a studied sense of play, an approach that gives the home its distinctive presence while maintaining a sense of composure. Griffiths once described the project as ‘a house within a house,’ an idea expressed through layers of enclosure and a facade that wraps the living spaces in a kind of protective shell.

images courtesy Hemingway+K

Interiors Shaped for Flexibility

Inside, FAT Architecture‘s Blue House unfolds as a sequence of linked spaces arranged around slender columns and generous openings. Parquet flooring runs across the ground level, giving the interior a warm tone that anchors the cooler colors of the walls and fitted elements. A log-burning stove rests in the corner of the living space, adding to the sense of calm that underpins the architecture’s more expressive moments.

The organization of the upper floors follows a structure that encourages adaptability. Two staircases sit at opposite ends of the plan, creating separate routes through the home and enabling varied configurations over time. Curved edges replace sharp intersections, guiding circulation through softened thresholds and shaping two of the bedrooms with gentle, irregular perimeters. Materials shift as well: moss-green carpet on the stairs yields to cork flooring on the upper levels, signaling transitions between zones.

Blue House in London presents a vivid facade along Hackney Road

The Blue House for an Evolving Lifestyle

The Blue House accommodates three bedrooms, an office with its own kitchenette and street access, and a top-floor studio looking out toward London. The layout also supports a five-bedroom configuration, illustrating how the architecture sustains adjustment as domestic or work needs evolve. This flexibility reflects the intentions embedded in FAT Architecture’s original design, which approached the home as a setting for overlapping forms of living.

At the rear, the kitchen opens directly to a sheltered courtyard garden planted with lush tree ferns and small tetrapanax trees. Large bi-fold glazing draws the garden into daily life, allowing light and foliage to settle into the interior. The interaction between these spaces brings a grounded quality to a home often framed through its expressive exterior.

the home was designed by Sean Griffiths under FAT Architecture

The ModernArchitect’s Rooftop Addition

Atop the main Blue House, a later addition by Griffiths’ current practice, ModernArchitect, introduces a rooftop studio and terrace. Pebbledash clads the volume, edged in yellow and cut by a green-framed pivot door that sets a bold datum against the sky. Inside, a deep portal window aligns with this frame, giving the studio a strong outward focus and a sense of orientation within the wider streetscape.

This upper level references the family’s time on the coast and brings a textured contrast to the smooth blue facade below. The combination of these elements reinforces the home’s layered identity, shaped by phases of personal history and architectural experimentation.

its blue cladding and crenellations frame a composed interior

parquet floors and curved edges guide movement through the ground level

Conclusion

The Blue House, designed by Sean Griffiths under FAT Architecture, is a unique and fascinating example of early 2000s design. With its vivid facade, adaptable interior, and rooftop addition, the house is a testament to the power of innovative architecture. The home’s ability to evolve and adapt to the needs of its inhabitants, combined with its striking design, make it a truly special place. As a marker of early 2000s design, the Blue House continues to inspire and influence architects and designers today, and its recent listing for sale provides a rare opportunity for design lovers to own a piece of history.

Introduction to the New Hamburg State Opera

The new Hamburg State Opera by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) will establish a contemporary home for the State Opera and Hamburg Ballet. The project is set to be located on the Baakenhöft peninsula in HafenCity — a sprawling waterfront development — and will replace the company’s mid-century house on Dammtorstraße. It will extend the German city’s long tradition of pairing cultural architecture with the harbor’s open horizon.

Imagined as both a working opera house and a civic landscape, the 45,000-square-meter building combines production, rehearsal, and performance spaces with a new public park that reaches to the river’s edge.

BIG’s proposal was selected by unanimous jury decision, recognizing its ability to synthesize the demands of a major cultural institution with the fluid urban fabric of HafenCity. The opera is envisioned as an island structure of terraced green roofs and a new hinge in Hamburg’s waterfront transformation.

the design forms a terraced landscape that links city and water | visualizations © Yanis Amasri

Design Overview

Architect Bjarke Ingels describes the design as ‘a landscape of concentric terraces,’ expanding outward from the main hall like ripples on the surface of the water. The building’s roofline forms a continuous, circular geometry that opens toward the harbor, creating a sequence of terraces accessible from multiple directions.

These landscaped paths weave between gardens, plazas, and lookout points, turning the entire site into a three-dimensional park open to residents and visitors throughout the day.

The transition from exterior to interior is fluid. Stone pavements from the park extend into the foyer, unifying ground and building. This large, timber-lined hall functions as an urban living room, animated by two central staircases that rise toward upper levels. Every main floor connects directly to outdoor terraces, which can host events or serve as informal gathering spaces overlooking the Elbe and the city skyline.

a continuous circular roofline shapes a walkable topography across the building

Auditorium Design

At the heart of the Hamburg State Opera, the main auditorium is enveloped in bands of horizontally layered timber that modulate both sightlines and sound. The wood surfaces create a warm tonal register, visually linking balconies and walls into a single flowing form.

BIG partner Jakob Sand says: ‘The main hall is the heart of the project – — space with state-of-the-art acoustics and perfect sightlines to the stage.’ Concentric wooden rings shape the hall and its balconies and dissolve the divide between performers and audience.

the foyer acts as an urban living room animated by central timber staircases

Landscape as Infrastructure

Supporting spaces — including a smaller studio stage, rehearsal rooms, and workshops — are organized directly behind the main hall, enabling seamless movement between preparation and performance. The plan reflects BIG’s ongoing exploration of buildings as networks of connected activity rather than fixed hierarchies of front and back.

Partner David Zahle emphasizes this openness: ‘Visitors can move along the facades and glimpse into the foyer, rehearsal rooms, backstage areas and offices, revealing the complexity behind a working opera house.’

BIG Landscape’s design extends the opera’s design language into the surrounding park. Flood management is integrated through a system of terraces, planted dunes, and wetlands that absorb and slow water flow. Rain basins collect and filter runoff, creating habitats for local flora and fauna. This way, a resilient ecological zone is created which responds to the tides of the Elbe while framing the opera as a living landscape shaped by natural movement.

the main hall features layered timber surfaces that guide acoustics and sightlines

Conclusion

The new Hamburg State Opera is set to become a landmark cultural institution, offering a unique blend of world-class performance spaces, public parks, and innovative landscape design. With its emphasis on fluid transitions between interior and exterior, and its integration with the surrounding waterfront, the project promises to enrich the urban fabric of Hamburg and provide a vibrant new hub for artistic expression and community engagement.

Do solar panels really save money? Our 18-month update on Sunrun solar panel savings shows the highs, lows, and what we’ve actually paid so far.

Ever since we had our solar panel system installed in April 2024, one of the most common questions I get is, “Do solar panels really save you money?” Honestly, it comes up all the time, whether in my inbox, on Instagram, or from neighbors walking by the house. I get it. Solar panels can feel a little too good to be true. Free energy from the sun? Lower electricity bills? It almost sounds like a scam.

Now that we are a year and a half in, I finally have enough data (and a big stack of ComEd bills) to share a real answer. This is not the glossy brochure version that a solar installer hands you. It is our actual experience as a family of four in Chicago. I will walk you through what our monthly electricity bills look like, when the solar savings feel noticeable, and the times when it has not made much financial sense.

So let’s dig into our 18 month update on solar panel savings. Here is the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Why We Chose Solar in the First Place

Like most families, we are always looking for ways to be more eco-friendly and to lower our energy costs. The idea of powering our home with the sun’s energy felt exciting and responsible. Our kids are growing up hearing about climate change, fossil fuels, and protecting the planet, and we wanted to model what it looks like to take small steps in the right direction.

There were also practical reasons. Electricity costs in Illinois have been climbing, and we knew that our utility bills were only going to get more unpredictable. When a Sunrun representative came to our neighborhood and explained their leasing program, we were curious. Leasing meant no upfront costs, no huge initial investment, and the company would handle the solar panel installation, maintenance, and monitoring. All we had to do was agree to a monthly payment.

Buying a solar energy system outright would have unlocked more financial incentives – like the federal tax credit – but the cost of the system was around $30,000. Since we were not ready to make that kind of upfront investment, the lease felt like the right fit.

How Solar Panel Savings Actually Work

Here is the simple version. Your solar panels produce electricity in kilowatt hours (kWh). If you make more than you use, the extra flows back to the grid and you earn net metering credits. If you need more than your panels are making, you pull from the grid as usual, and the credits help offset your bill.

Because we lease, we do not get the federal tax credit or other upfront incentives. Instead, we pay Sunrun a fixed monthly fee (around $70) that covers installation, monitoring, and maintenance. The idea is that lower ComEd bills, plus that steady Sunrun payment, will add up to savings. In reality, some months we see a benefit and other months we do not.

Our Real Numbers: 18 Months of Data

This is the part everyone wants to know about – the bills. I went through every ComEd statement from the past year and a half and compared them to what we would have paid without solar, using the actual supply rates from each month. That matters, because ComEd’s electricity rates have jumped from around 6.9¢/kWh in 2024 to about 10¢/kWh in 2025. Even though each kilowatt hour of solar is worth more now, the lease fee has still tipped the balance.

• Spring: Our best months. Panels covered a big chunk of our usage, and we saved about $25–30.
• Summer: Mixed. In 2024,
  

Introduction to Manor Mirage

In the vast wilderness of Zhangjiakou, China, BUZZ’s Manor Mirage occupies the site of an abandoned concrete bridge. The bridge’s piers remain deeply embedded in the earth, their rigid geometry interrupting the visual flow between the field and the open sky. The team approached this fragment of infrastructure not as a ruin to erase but as a foundation to reimagine.

Rather than concealing the bridge’s weight, the architects used it as the core for a structure that seems to hover. The renovated building rises above the old bridge through a sequence of elevated slabs and a refined, lightweight roof and facade system. The result is a horizontal composition that blurs the concrete and seems to float above the landscape.

images © BUZZ

Manor Mirage Appears to Float Over Vast Fields

The surrounding topography frames the Manor Mirage by BUZZ. Mountains enclose the site to the north and south, while to the east the horizon draws a decisive division between land and air. The architects‘ intervention reconciles these elements by transforming the bridge from a blunt interruption into a threshold. The Manor Mirage grows horizontally across the existing structure, its lifted ground floor allowing air and light to pass beneath. The approach dissolves the visual barrier once imposed by the bridge, allowing the agricultural landscape to remain undisturbed.

Through glass and metal, the building assumes the qualities of reflection and diffusion. Its curtain walls mirror the wheat field and shifting clouds, and the white steel frames register as a rhythm of lines. It is part architecture, part optical illusion. From a distance, the building reads as a diffused extension of the plain itself, rather than as a single object.

Manor Mirage by BUZZ rises lightly above an abandoned bridge in rural China

The Pixelated Facade System

The most distinctive gesture of BUZZ’s Manor Mirage lies in its outer skin. To reconcile the mass of the old bridge with the openness of the site, the team devised a ‘pixelated’ facade system composed of ultra-white glass and intersecting metal frames. These linear grids diffuse the building’s edges, breaking its solidity into layers of depth and transparency. As sunlight moves across the site, the frame’s density alternately reveals and conceals, lending a sense of vibration against the landscape.

This pixelation offers more than visual relief, the building is a translation of the language of the fields into architecture. Each grid cell recalls the point-like texture of sprouting wheat or flowering grass. The structure becomes a device for framing views of varying scales — from the horizon to a single stalk swaying nearby. Through this calibrated abstraction, Manor Mirage situates itself as both a fragment of the landscape and a tool for observing it.

The programmatic core of the project echoes the transitory culture of the Zhangbei Grassland. BUZZ envisioned the Manor Mirage as a flexible project for exhibitions, reading, and light dining, with terraces opening to the surrounding fields. On weekends it supports markets, workshops, and small-scale performances.

the design transforms a rigid concrete ruin into a cloud-like shelter in the wheat fields

a pixelated grid of white frames softens the building’s volume and diffuses its edges

the project preserves the rural road running beneath the original bridge

Conclusion

Manor Mirage by BUZZ is a testament to the power of creative reuse and renovation. By transforming an abandoned concrete bridge into a cloud-like shelter, the architects have not only preserved a piece of the site’s history but also created a unique and breathtaking piece of architecture that seems to float above the landscape. The pixelated facade system, the lifted ground floor, and the use of glass and metal all contribute to a sense of lightness and airiness, making the building feel like a natural part of the surrounding landscape. As a flexible project for exhibitions, reading, and light dining, Manor Mirage is a vibrant and dynamic space that supports the local community and celebrates the beauty of the Zhangbei Grassland.

Introduction to the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art

Nearing completion, the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) emerges on the banks of Jinji Lake. Designed in collaboration with ARTS Group and Front Inc., and commissioned by Suzhou Harmony Development Group, the 60,000-square-meter complex is envisioned as a contemporary reinterpretation of Suzhou’s historic gardens.

The structure unfolds as a village of twelve interconnected pavilions unified beneath a flowing, ribbon-like roof whose gentle undulations echo tiled eaves. As the building approaches its final phase, it paves the way for Materialism, an inaugural exhibition curated by BIG set to open ahead of the museum’s official debut in 2026.

all images by Ye Jianyuan, unless stated otherwise

Design Inspiration and Concept

Rooted in the cultural identity of Suzhou, BIG’s design draws from the traditional lang (廊), a long, covered corridor that guides visitors through Chinese gardens, transforming it into a fluid network of exhibition spaces, courtyards, and walkways. ‘Suzhou is the cradle of the Chinese garden,’ notes Bjarke Ingels, describing the museum as ‘a garden of pavilions and courtyards’ where architecture and landscape intertwine.

Glazed galleries and porticoes link the structures together in what Ingels calls ‘a Chinese knot of interconnected sculpture courtyards and exhibition spaces.’ Seen from above, the stainless steel roofs ripple across the site like a living organism, their gentle curves tracing a silhouette that connects the city to the lake.

Architectural Features

The architects mirror the changing colors of the sky and waters on warm-toned stainless steel and curved glass facades. Inside the museum, daylight filters through clerestories and skylights, creating reflections and shadows across the galleries. Four of the twelve pavilions contain the main exhibition halls, while the remaining spaces host a multifunction hall, theater, restaurant, and grand entrance area.

Bridges and tunnels weave between the buildings above and below ground, giving the museum flexible circulation and climatic adaptability. Outside, a sequence of gardens extends the visitor journey toward the lake, where sculpture installations and public paths remain open beyond museum hours.

a sequence of gardens extends the visitor journey toward the lake

Materialism: A Prelude to the Museum’s Opening

For BIG partner Catherine Huang, the project is a tribute to Suzhou’s enduring relationship between architecture and landscape. ‘We envision the lang, a traditional element of Suzhou gardens, gracefully winding through the landscapes and transforming into pavilions,’ she explains. The museum follows China’s GBEL Green Star 2 sustainability certification, addressing technical and social dimensions of environmental design.

Before its full opening in 2026, Materialism will invite visitors on a ‘material odyssey,’ tracing the story of human progress through stone, glass, metal, plastic, and recycled matter. Framing this exhibition within a landscape of light, reflection, and interwoven paths, the nearing completion of Suzhou MoCA marks a moment of continuity.

the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art by BIG emerges on the banks of Jinji Lake

the structure unfolds as a village of twelve interconnected pavilions

a flowing roof whose gentle undulations echo tiled eaves tops the museum | image by Studio SZ Photo

Introduction to Busan Lotte Tower

In South Korea‘s coastal city of Busan, Kengo Kuma and Associates have completed the Busan Lotte Tower, a fluid glass skyscraper rising from the former City Hall site. The project stands at the meeting point of land and sea, its form shaped by the surrounding harbor and the patterns of movement that define the port. The tower’s facade captures the rhythm of waves drawn by passing ships, and expresses the city’s maritime identity through its texture and fluid, reflective surfaces.

Horizontal bands ripple across the exterior, tracing a continuous line around the building. These curved bands blur the distinction between spandrel and vision glass, softening the vertical rise into a fluid gesture that reflects the changing surface of the sea. The glass shifts from transparent to gently tinted to mirror the light and color of Busan’s coastal sky.

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

Rhythm and Material of Lotte Tower

The Busan Lotte Tower is shaped by Kengo Kuma and Associates as a stack of curved transparent volumes. This vertical stack is reflected through the internal program, each layer subtly offset to suggest motion. This composition produces an interplay of concave and convex surfaces, echoing the undulation of waves. The materials — glass, aluminum, and finely detailed louvers — allow light to shimmer across the facade while maintaining a calm rhythm that tempers the building’s scale.

At the upper levels, the horizontal lines of the façade dissolve into slender fins. These become louvers that filter sunlight and wind, creating a transitional space at the rooftop observatory. Here, the city, sea, and sky meet in a single panoramic field. The observatory appears to float above the harbor, its light structure open to the shifting air and the horizon beyond.

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

Integration with Context of Busan, Korea

The Busan Lotte Tower extends the city’s dialogue with the sea. Kengo Kuma’s approach avoids monumentality, favoring continuity with the surrounding landscape. The tower reflects its context rather than asserting contrast, allowing the movement of light and water to animate its surface throughout the day. Seen from the port, the building reads as a vertical extension of the shoreline — its shimmering facade absorbing the hues of sunrise and dusk.

In the evening, soft interior light brings the horizontal lines into subtle relief, giving the impression of an illuminated current rising through the tower. From street level, the curved glass volumes frame glimpses of activity inside, linking the rhythm of urban life with the broader cadence of the harbor.

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

Project Information

name: Busan Lotte Tower

architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Busan, South Korea

status: ongoing

visualizations: Kengo Kuma and Associates

team: Seungjun Lee, Doyup Lee, Daihoon Kim, Cheuk Lam Chan, Rikuro Sakaushi, Edward WooHyun Chung, Fumitake Suzuki (CG)

construction: Lotte Construction

structure: ARUP, CNP

facility: Samoo Architects & Engineers

exterior: LHYn

illumination: EONSLD

Introduction to the Grand Ballroom

MVRDV’s Grand Ballroom proposes a spherical arena of colossal scale for Tirana, Albania. Designed to replace the Asllan Rusi sports palace, the project brings together a 6,000-seat venue, hotel, apartments, and retail in a single continuous form. The sphere, over 100 meters (330 feet) in diameter, rises from a compact urban site between the city center and the airport road, appearing at once grounded and weightless.

The building’s circular volume folds gently into the landscape. Around its perimeter, open plazas and outdoor courts extend the public life of the arena. At ground level, shallow steps and shaded terraces guide visitors toward a sunken ring of cafés and shops, where the building meets the earth. The approach is choreographed through shifts in scale and level that reveal the building’s interior structure piece by piece.

visualizations © Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Stefano Fiaschi, Ciprian Buzdugan

The Grand Ballroom as a Spherical Stack

The architects at MVRDV organize the Grand Ballroom’s programming as a stack of horizontal strata that build upward from public to private. The arena occupies the central tier — a luminous bowl enclosed by sweeping curves of seating and light-filtering structural ribs. Above, two floors of hotel rooms are suspended between the stands and the roof, their windows offering direct views into the court below. A glazed oculus at the arena’s center maintains a visual link between guests and athletes, which turn the ceiling into a shared point of focus.

Higher still, apartments are embedded within the double-shell structure of the sphere. Their circulation threads through a vast semi-outdoor dome that serves as a communal garden for residents. Mature trees, walkways, and shaded seating areas create a second landscape within the building as an inversion of the arena below. The cutouts that puncture the shell allow air and light to move freely through the interior.

MVRDV unveils a spherical mixed use arena in Tirana, Albania

Inside MVRDV’s New Monument for Tirana

The material palette is expected to emphasize the building’s sculptural continuity — metallic panels and glass reflecting the changing Albanian light, while the internal gardens introduce warmth and softness. Seen from a distance, the Grand Ballroom reads as a luminous hemisphere rising above its context; up close, its surface reveals apertures, balconies, and recesses that respond to the rhythms of everyday use.

For founding partner Winy Maas, the project’s spherical form draws on references ranging from Boullée’s Cenotaph for Newton to Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes — monumental and iconic structures that embody collective aspiration through geometry. In Tirana, this lineage becomes a living arena for sport and community. As Mass explains, it will become a beacon and ‘a place to play, meet, and celebrate,’ Maas explains.

the 100 meter-wide sphere rises between the airport road and city center

the Grand Ballroom combines sport, housing, and hospitality in one structure

hotel rooms overlook the court through a central oculus

Conclusion

The Grand Ballroom is a revolutionary project that combines sport, housing, and hospitality in a single, iconic structure. With its spherical design and unique programming, it is set to become a landmark in Tirana and a model for future urban development. By integrating public and private spaces, the Grand Ballroom creates a vibrant and dynamic environment that will enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. As a testament to the power of innovative design, the Grand Ballroom is sure to inspire and delight all who experience it.

Painting interior doors is an easy, high-impact project, whether you’ve got new, pre-primed slabs or older doors that need a little love. Here’s the simple, step-by-step process to achieve a smooth, professional finish.

Our basement has been done for a while now, but this project keeps coming up in my DMs: How to paint interior doors for a smooth, brush-mark-free finish. Winter is prime DIY season, so I’m resharing everything I learned painting six doors—tools, order of painting, best paints and sheens—so you can use it on old or new doors, whatever you’ve got.

I had six doors to paint in our basement, and this was my first time painting an interior door! I’ve had some exterior door painting practice on our front door and the door leading to our garage, but never a door inside a home, so this was a learning experience for me.

## Decide On Your Method

There is no right way to paint interior doors! You just need to figure out the best method for your situation. You could remove all of the doors from the hinges and spray them with a paint sprayer. You could take the door knobs off so you don’t have to tape them. Or, you could leave all of the hardware on and tape it off, as I did.

Since I knew I was going to be spraying the interior walls with a paint sprayer, I decided to forego the paint sprayer this time around and paint my doors by hand. This was a tad time-consuming, but I made the most of it with my computer nearby to watch shows and listen to podcasts while I worked away!

## My Doors & Door Hardware

Before we get to the tips, let me share a bit of information about my new doors. My contractor picked these doors up at ABC Remodeling Supply, here in Chicago. The style is called “Winslow” and they are a similar 3-panel flat shaker style, like we have throughout the rest of our home.

I decided to go with hollow core doors (as opposed to solid) to save about $500. In total, these doors cost me about $1,200. Doors like these come pre-hung, which means they come attached to the frame with the hinges, and the frames are then installed. If you just wanted the door, that would be called a “slab”.

## Tape It Off & Use A Utility Knife!

While it sometimes feels like a pain, prep work is what yields the best results and I would say it’s the most important step! The first thing I did was run a tack cloth all over the entire door. This is always a good idea because it will remove any sneaky dust or particles that may be hiding. You don’t want to paint over those!

November 10, 2025

Introduction to Mas Cadalt

In the heart of Canet d’Adri, Girona, Fran Silvestre Arquitectos breathes new life into an abandoned farmhouse, transforming it into Mas Cadalt, a contemporary rural dwelling where British designer Terence Woodgate and his partner Paula Woodgate continue their London-based work, surrounded by the Catalan countryside.

The Spanish farmhouse preserves the traditional construction system typical of the Empordà region, using irregular limestone masonry bonded with lime mortar, reinforced at the corners and openings with finely cut ashlar blocks. After repairing and reconstructing the original walls, the architects introduced a cork-based insulation layer for improved thermal performance. Inside, a new white skin enhances brightness and conceals mechanical and electrical systems, while limestone flooring creates a consistent material palette throughout the home.

all images by Fernando Guerra

Mas Cadalt is a Home and Studio for Terence Woodgate

The project questions whether a way of life can be restored with the same precision used to recover an ancient object. Fran Silvestre Arquitectos’ response begins with understanding the site’s essence, its materials, and the stories embedded in its walls. The Valencia-based architects maintain the original volume and typology of the farmhouse, while spatial transformations remain minimal and deliberate. Each existing space finds new life within a specific part of the updated program. The kitchen occupies the triple height of the old tower, the living room opens toward views of the Sierra de la Cadalt, and the lower level, once reserved for livestock, is reinterpreted as a flexible multipurpose area. An adjacent outbuilding, once used for farm tools, has been repurposed into a garage with an upper-floor studio, where Terence Woodgate designs his furniture and lighting collections.

Mas Cadalt is fully self-sufficient, equipped with photovoltaic panels, batteries, and an autonomous water system supplied by custom-designed cisterns, one of which has been transformed into a pool. The surrounding six hectares of land, partially cultivated, produce food for the inhabitants. The architects describe the renovation process as one shaped by patience and humility, restoring the damaged pieces and adding only what was missing.

Mas Cadalt’s restored limestone facades in Canet d’Adri, Girona

the house opens to views of the Sierra de la Cadalt

a repurposed water cistern now forms a compact pool framed by limestone paving

this cluster of stone volumes nestled in the Catalan countryside

November 8, 2025

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.

Design Approach

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.

all images by Keijiro Yamada

Connection to the Local Community

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.

Structural Design

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.

House in Abeno by Okuwada Architects is situated on a narrow 45.2-square-meter site in Osaka

the two-story wooden residence feels open through its grid of full-height windows and terraces

a facade composed of stacked aluminum-framed openings

the residence is connected to a bustling shopping arcade

Conclusion

House in Abeno by Okuwada Architects is a remarkable example of how a narrow site can be transformed into a spacious and open residence. The use of large windows, terraces, and a unique structural design creates a sense of connection to the surrounding city, while the building’s connection to the local shopping arcade fosters a sense of community. The project showcases the potential for innovative design to create harmonious relationships between buildings, residents, and the urban environment.