House With a Crossed Earth Floor by Fukei Co.

House With a Crossed Earth Floor, designed by Fukei Co., is a compact yet spatially rich residence located on a gentle hillside in Miyagi, Japan. Completed in 2024, the 93 m² house reinterprets traditional Japanese architectural elements through a contemporary lens, using an earthen floor as the central spatial and environmental connector between house, garden, and landscape.

Site-Specific Residential Architecture in Japan

Set within a green hillside context, the project responds sensitively to its surroundings. Rather than treating the site as a backdrop, the architects developed a crisscrossed floor plan that actively shapes the relationship between interior spaces and the garden. This intersecting geometry divides the outdoor area into four distinct functional gardens, each offering a unique environmental and experiential quality.

These include:

• A bright, open garden with a field where children can freely run and play
• A quiet, secluded garden visible from the bathroom and bedrooms
• A façade garden that enhances the street-facing appearance of the house
• A parking garden, seamlessly integrated into the overall landscape strategy

Together, these gardens extend daily living outdoors while maintaining privacy and spatial clarity.

The Earthen Floor as a Spatial Connector

At the heart of the house lies a crossed earthen floor (doma) that runs through the entire first floor. This traditional Japanese element is reimagined as a contemporary circulation and living zone, softly connecting the cool air from the park-like trees behind the entrance with the warmer air of the garden.

The earthen floor acts as:

• A thermal and atmospheric buffer
• A circulation spine connecting interior and exterior
• A light-responsive space, transforming throughout the day

Natural light enters from multiple directions—four gardens and strategically placed skylights—causing subtle shifts in brightness, shadow, and color. This dynamic lighting condition enhances the tactile quality of the earthen surface and reinforces the house’s connection to time, weather, and seasonality.

Vertical Openness and Intimate Living

Above the earthen floor, an open atrium visually and spatially connects the ground floor with the attic bedrooms. This vertical void introduces daylight deep into the interior while fostering a sense of openness within the compact footprint.

The attic bedrooms overlook the atrium, maintaining visual continuity with the shared spaces below. A carefully positioned private window in the attic frames an exclusive view of the surrounding hill, offering residents a quiet retreat and a moment of contemplation away from the communal areas.

Contemporary Japanese House Design

Through its restrained material palette, thoughtful section design, and integration of landscape, the House With a Crossed Earth Floor exemplifies a modern Japanese residential architecture approach that values:

• Simplicity and spatial efficiency
• Environmental responsiveness
• Blurred boundaries between inside and outside
• Everyday interaction with nature

Rather than relying on size or visual complexity, the project achieves richness through light, air, texture, and spatial sequence, demonstrating how small houses can offer deeply layered living experiences.

Project Information

• Project Name: House With a Crossed Earth Floor
• Architects: Fukei Co.
• Lead Architects: Midori Oshima, Daisuke Komatsu
• Location: Miyagi, Japan
• Area: 93 m²
• Year: 2024
• Photographs: Daisuke Komatsu, Fukei

All photographs are works of Daisuke Komatsu, Fukei