Exterior View of the house in Tokyo by Sou Fujimoto

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

In 2016, Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto partnered with Daito Trust Construction to “redefine the rental house” for the House Vision 2016 exhibition held in Tokyo.

Rental Space Tower Technical Information

Rental housing had always been configured so that space for exclusive occupancy is maximized while common areas are confined to passageways. But what if private spaces are minimized to provide spacious shared spaces, such as kitchens, baths, theater rooms and gardens?

– Sou Fujimoto Architects

Rental Space Tower Photographs
Aerial view of the rentable apartment by Sou Fujimoto

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

Courtyards of the House

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

Rental Space Tower / Sou Fujimoto

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

Rental Space Tower / Sou Fujimoto

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

Rental Space Tower / Sou Fujimoto

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

Rental Space Tower / Sou Fujimoto

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

Wood model by Sou Fujimoto

© Sou Fujimoto Architects

Text by the Architects

The theme of residential leasing and management company Daito Trust Construction and architect Sou Fujimoto is “redefining the rental house.”

Rental housing had always been configured so that space for exclusive occupancy is maximized while common areas are confined to passageways. But what if private spaces are minimized to provide spacious shared spaces, such as kitchens, baths, theater rooms, and gardens? One can have a luxurious kitchen to enjoy cooking skills, a spacious bathtub in which to stretch your body, and an extensive library to read books for diversion.

Unlike house sharing, where the living room and other spaces outside of one’s own room are shared with others, the private and shared areas here are divided and then recombined anew to provide a glimpse of a comfortable and relaxing rental housing.

If older people with time on their hands or people with gardening skills manage the shared gardens, then everyone can enjoy them too. The dull corridors are transformed into vibrant composite spaces.

About House Vision 

HOUSE VISION considers the house as an intersection between industries, which makes it the ideal platform on which to project ideas about the future—taking the house as the starting point reveals potential solutions for many issues, including energy, communications, mobility, the aging society, the relationship between urban and rural, and the preservation of traditional land-use systems such as satoyama areas and terraced rice fields.

The theme for HOUSE VISION 2 2016 Tokyo is “CO-DIVIDUAL—Split and Connect/Separate and Come Together.” It addresses the question of how we can bring together and re-connect individuals, urban and rural areas, and fragmented technologies. The resulting exhibition in Tokyo presents proposals for solutions in the form of ideas associated with the house.

About Sou Fujimoto

Sou Fujimoto was born in 1971 and graduated in architecture at the University of Tokyo in 2000. That same year he established Sou Fujimoto Architects. His most significant works include House N, Musashino Art University Museum and Library, House NA, among others. He has received the JIA Grand Prix, the World Architecture Festival Award for Private House, the Venice Biennale’s 13th International Architecture Exhibition Golden Lion Award, among other awards.

Other Works from Sou Fujimoto

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