Father and Son’s House: A Thoughtful Renovation Blending Generations in Saitama

Located in a quiet suburban neighborhood of Saitama, Japan, the Father and Son’s House designed by Unemori Architects is a compelling example of how renovation and new construction can coexist harmoniously. Completed in 2022, this 98 m² residential project transforms an existing annex and workshop into a modern home for the son and his family while maintaining a respectful spatial relationship with the main house where his mother lives.

This project represents more than a typical residential renovation, it is an architectural dialogue across generations, combining old structures built by the owner's father with contemporary design interventions.

A Site Shaped by Family History

The site originally contained multiple structures built over time by the owner’s father, who was a carpenter. These included:

• The main house
• An annex
• A workshop
• A warehouse

Over the years, these buildings were expanded and remodeled at least four times, creating a layered architectural environment with different construction techniques and materials.

Rather than demolishing the existing annex and workshop, the architects chose to convert and integrate them into a new residence for the son’s family. This approach preserved the family’s architectural heritage while allowing the next generation to establish their own living space.

The design also carefully maintains a comfortable distance from the main house, ensuring privacy while preserving close family connections.

Hybrid Construction: Old Framework Meets New Architecture

One of the most distinctive aspects of the project is the hybrid structure combining renovation with new construction.

The existing annex had a complex structural system made of both wood and steel, reflecting the pragmatic construction methods used by the father during different periods. Instead of simplifying or removing this complexity, the architects chose to embrace and preserve it.

Key design strategies include:

• A new wooden roof built above the existing structure
• New exterior walls enclosing the old framework
• Additional floors and modern water facilities integrated into the building
• A structurally independent new construction system

Although the new structure is technically independent, subtle vertical forces are shared between the old and new components, allowing them to function together while maintaining structural clarity.

Between these layers, the architects created small gaps and transitional spaces, highlighting the boundary between past and present.

Light, Wind, and Spatial Continuity

A defining feature of the Father and Son’s House is its generous use of large windows, which allow natural light and ventilation to pass through the building.

These openings reveal the original wooden columns, beams, and rafters, turning them into visible elements of the interior design.

The result is a spatial experience where:

• Natural light filters through the layered structure
• Air circulates freely across different volumes
• Old structural elements become part of the aesthetic narrative

Instead of hiding the building’s history, the architecture celebrates it, creating a home where the memory of craftsmanship remains visible and alive.

Architecture as a Dialogue Across Time

Perhaps the most poetic aspect of the project lies in its conceptual approach. The original structures were not designed as “rational architecture” according to modern standards. They were built pragmatically, using available materials and responding to immediate needs.

For the architects, this imperfect and spontaneous construction embodied a creative freedom that guided their design philosophy.

Through the renovation, the architects entered into what they describe as an “invisible dialogue” with the owner’s father. The final building becomes a collaboration across generations, where past craftsmanship and contemporary design work together.

This layered authorship transforms the house into something greater than a renovation, it becomes a living record of family history expressed through architecture.

Project Details

• Project: Father and Son’s House
• Architects: Unemori Architects
• Location: Saitama, Japan
• Area: 98 m²
• Year: 2022
• Structural Engineers: HSC
• General Contractor: siguma construction firm
• Photography: Atelier Vincent Hecht

A Model for Contemporary Adaptive Reuse

The Father and Son’s House demonstrates how adaptive reuse architecture can go beyond sustainability to become a meaningful exploration of memory, craftsmanship, and family relationships.

By carefully layering new interventions over an inherited structure, the project illustrates how architecture can:

• Preserve personal and cultural heritage
• Encourage intergenerational living
• Create spatial harmony between past and present

Rather than replacing the old, the architects allowed it to coexist with the new, producing a home that feels both deeply rooted and forward-looking.

All photographs are works of  Atelier Vincent Hecht