Fuma House

A striking contemporary concrete residence fills this architectural photograph, presenting bold geometric volumes against a clear blue sky. Scanning from background to foreground, the composition reveals a saturated cerulean sky occupying the upper third of the image, providing luminous contrast to the grey architectural masses. The dominant structure consists of stacked concrete volumes, with a dramatically cantilevered upper box projecting toward the viewer and featuring a deep rectangular opening that frames the sky within its cool shadowed interior. This upper volume, warm grey like weathered limestone with subtle variations suggesting board-formed construction, casts a crisp diagonal shadow across the lower concrete wall, indicating bright sunlight from the upper left. The concrete surfaces display a granular, tactile quality suggesting rough stone, with visible grid patterns from formwork creating subtle horizontal and vertical rhythms. Below the main structure, shadowed ground-level spaces suggest covered outdoor areas and entry sequences, while a black metal spiral staircase visible at right provides vertical circulation. The landscape foreground presents a lush subtropical garden arranged on either side of a central stone pathway, with rounded river stones in grey and beige tones covering the ground like a dry riverbed. Tropical vegetation rises throughout, including fan palms with radiating fronds like green starbursts, tall slender palm trees with feathery crowns, spiky yucca plants with sword-like leaves, and various drought-tolerant specimens in yellow-green and olive tones. The pathway of rectangular buff-colored pavers leads the eye toward the shadowed entrance. At the composition's edges, glimpses of neighboring traditional houses with dark roofs provide scale reference, their conventional forms emphasizing the sculptural boldness of the central residence. The overall atmosphere feels warm, bright, and contemplative, suggesting a serene dwelling designed for experiencing light and sky.

This house for a family of four stands along a railway line in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. To adapt to the site's exposure to train noise, vibrations, and flood risk, reinforced concrete was used. The second floor cantilevers 5.6m toward the street and 3.2m toward the parking area, allowing for single-story-style living on the second level within a three-story structure. Plants are placed throughout the architecture, such as in gardens and terraces, creating spaces where greenery and the built form intertwine, blending the home seamlessly with nature.