Urban Prism House by Nobuaki Miyashita is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Competition Category.
BronzeArchitecture· 2025
Urban Prism House
Client: Aida Sekkei Co., Ltd.
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Architecture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #171578The Design
About Urban Prism House
Urban Prism is a three-story house built in a dense urban area of Tokyo, Japan. The wood structure covers a total floor area of 127.82 square meters on a site of 100.13 square meters. Boundary walls and a gate form a buffer zone that brings light and air into the interior. A courtyard extends the living room outdoors, and adjustable screens control privacy and daylight. Textured fiber cement siding clads the exterior, while oak flooring, steel and glass shape the interior. The sculptural form responds to local height and setback regulations.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Urban Prism House is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Urban Prism House is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Urban Prism House splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Where to Get It
Award-Winning Architectural Design Services
We create innovative architectural solutions that reveal each project's unique identity and potential. From residential to commercial spaces, our designs integrate site-specific contexts with contemporary Japanese sensibilities, delivering distinctive added value through thoughtful spatial composition.
Discuss Your ProjectInterviews
Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to transforming strict urban zoning constraints into architectural possibilities in Urban Prism House is remarkable - could you elaborate on how these limitations ultimately shaped the sculptural form and spatial dynamics of the design?
The strict urban zoning and setback restrictions initially seemed like obstacles, but they became the foundation of the design concept. The slanted walls and stacked volumes were generated directly from the legal height envelope, creating a sculptural form that captures light differently throughout the day. These constraints inspired a rhythm of light and shadow, transforming what could have been a limitation into the most defining aesthetic of the house.
The integration of traditional Japanese design principles with contemporary architectural language in Urban Prism House creates a unique harmony - what inspired this cultural synthesis, and how does it enhance the daily living experience?
The fusion of traditional Japanese sensibility and modern minimalism stems from the idea of “Ma” — the poetic interval between forms. While the exterior is defined by a bold geometric silhouette, the interior reveals a calm spatial flow reminiscent of tatami rooms and engawa terraces. This duality brings a spiritual balance to urban life, connecting residents to both the serenity of tradition and the clarity of contemporary design.
Urban Prism House masterfully balances privacy and openness through its layered volumes and courtyards - could you walk us through your thought process in creating these transitional spaces and their impact on the residents' connection with their environment?
The design explores transitions rather than boundaries. Layered walls, courtyards, and narrow apertures create moments where the inside and outside blur. The courtyard acts as a visual buffer, filtering sunlight and air while protecting privacy. These gradations of openness cultivate a subtle dialogue between seclusion and exposure, allowing the inhabitants to experience changing atmospheres throughout the day.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Urban Prism balances privacy and openness in a dense urban setting. The design utilizes boundary walls and a gate to create a buffer zone filled with light and air, seamlessly connecting the interior and exterior. Japan’s strict height and setback regulations shaped its refined, sculptural form. A courtyard extends the living space, while adjustable screens regulate privacy and daylight. Black bamboo and upward lighting enhance the entrance, evoking a Japanese aesthetic.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Site Area: 100.13 Square meters
Building Area: 57.64 Square meters
Total Floor Area: 127.82 Square meters
Structure: Wood
Number of Floors: 3 above ground
Eaves Height: 8.53 m
Ceiling Height: 2.50 m - Tags
- architecture, house, urban design, natural light, spatial composition, sustainable living
- Production Technology
- The house employs durable materials suited to urban environments. Textured fiber cement siding accentuates light and shadow interplay, reinforcing depth. The interior harmonizes solid wood, steel, and glass, blending modernity with warmth. Oak flooring enhances the tactile experience. High-performance insulated glass and movable screens optimize daylight, ventilation, and privacy. The exterior cladding ensures longevity, requiring minimal maintenance over time.
- Design Challenge
- The greatest challenge was balancing privacy and openness within strict urban zoning constraints. Japan’s stringent height and setback regulations required innovative volumetric manipulation to maximize livable space. Socially, the project had to address urban density while maintaining tranquility. Externally, material selection was limited by durability and maintenance concerns. Advanced simulations optimized daylight and airflow, ensuring a harmonious spatial experience.
- Research
- Type of Research: Architectural design research
Research Objectives: Optimization of urban housing through spatial and environmental adaptability
Methodology: Model testing, daylight and airflow simulations
Data Collection: On-site analysis, material performance tests
Results: Established a refined approach to urban privacy, integrating zoning constraints into design solutions - Inspiration
- The project transforms zoning constraints into design potential, integrating privacy, natural light, and spatial expansion. The home’s multi-layered structure fosters an interplay between openness and enclosure, adapting flexibly to its surroundings. Carefully arranged volumes and walls create a dynamic sequence of spaces. The design embraces traditional Japanese elements, reinterpreted through contemporary architectural language to enhance urban living.
- Project Duration
- The project was completed in 2019 in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan.
- Operation Flow
- Smooth circulation and spatial layering create a dynamic living experience. The atrium channels natural light and air throughout the house, shifting in ambiance with time. Adjustable screens and staggered walls allow residents to control privacy and exposure. The courtyard functions as an outdoor extension of the living room, enhancing spatial fluidity. Black bamboo and illuminated surfaces establish a serene entryway, linking nature with contemporary design.
- Patents
- N/A
- Team Members
- N/A
- Image Credits
- Image #1, #2,#3, #4, #5: Photographer Nobuaki Miyashita, Variations, 2019
Sponsored
Explore Beyond Designers.org
Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.
More to Explore
Related Designs
Explore more award-winning designs from the same category, selected by merit.
