This beachside retreat in Punta Fuego, Nasugbu, Batangas is more than just a vacation home—it showcases the beauty of Filipino architecture tailored for contemporary coastal living. Designed by A. Mañosa + Architects, this abode was envisioned to be a party house for the client’s son, blending architectural fundamentals from the bahay kubo—the signature of the […]
House in Muko: Reconfiguring Japan’s Past with Modern Needs
Humanity exists in a constant state of re-litigating the past and the present. It’s gotten to the point that academics can pinpoint how long it’ll take before something becomes idealized in the present (minimum twenty years). And it happens with architecture, too. Styles come and go and come back again, and we reinvent new ways of returning the past to the present. Thus, residential buildings like the House in Muko exist.
Located in Muko City in Kyoto, Japan, Tomohiro Hata Architect and Associates designed and built the home. The company’s lead architects for the project were Tomohiro Hata, Kazuki Kimura, and Misato Takagi.
The owner of the residential building gave a relatively straightforward request to the architects. They wanted a “farm-style” house akin to the ones that used to exist abundantly in Muko before industrialization lessened its attractiveness. But while they wanted that kind of farm house, they also wanted it to be melded with modern sensibilities.
Finding the Overlap in Design
For Hata and company, the challenge became finding the overlapping points from a design perspective. Farm houses in the past, they surmised, contained lots of open spaces for farm work. They also realized that the houses of the past would be bound to a hierarchical arrangement of rooms and buildings, which were explicitly separated depending on one’s rank.
For the first point, the architects worked towards ensuring a spacious environment within the building. The center of the house holds an open courtyard filled with grass and trees, a good frolicking area for the home’s residents. Much of the rooms and buildings also utilize high ceilings and roomy aesthetic features. This includes wooden cavity wall doors and floor-to-ceiling windows across the rooms.
Beyond that, the architects found a way to integrate the hierarchical arrangements without actually separating the rooms in that matter. They kept the idea of clustering rooms, creating what they called “neutral and free living spaces” where different spaces flow into each other.
Seeking Comfort Beyond Hierarchies
Beyond those building design principles, the House in Muko looks the part of a modernized farmhouse. Its closed-off design mimics different Japanese aristocratic housing in the past, with the angular rooftops and its grey concrete-esque build creating an aura of modernity.
Inside the house itself, the communal rooms are filled with design hallmarks of the past. The rooms use wooden planks in the walls, and some of the windows mimic fusuma paper sliding doors. It adds up towards a farming compound modernized for the needs of a residential home today.
The House in Muko strives to find the past in the present. They discard what doesn’t match today and bring forward what they can work with. It ultimately succeeds by finding the same notes of design—possibly used in a different tone then—and adapting it to modern sensibilities.
Related reading: Encounter the Synergy of Japanese Expertise and Filipino Hospitality Through the Seasons Residences
The Grand Palais in Paris sets the stage for “Le Banquet des Philippines,” a remarkable exhibition of Filipino artistry, from May 21-25, 2025. This showcase takes place during the prestigious Révélations – Biennale Internationale Métiers d’Art et Création. Curated by Milo Naval and presented by the Design Center of the Philippines, the event promises a […]
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Filipino architect and designer Edwin Uy opened a new atelier in Makati City, displaying and selling products from the Swiss company Röthlisberger. The first distributor of the brand in Southeast Asia, its uncommon mix of minimalist residential design and easy, no-frills construction makes it a singular addition to the Philippine market today. The Röthlisberger company […]
Design is more than just a profession for Hurray Design‘s co-founder IDr. Rossy Yabut-Rojales. It’s an intrinsic part of who she is. Not confined to a single discipline, her approach is a fluid exploration of form, function, and emotion. This deep-rooted connection to design shaped her perspective, allowing her to move seamlessly across different creative […]
Coffee weaves itself into the very fabric of countless cultures across the globe. And as coffee shops blossom into vibrant social hubs, they also become expressions of what a community believes and represents. These four coffee shop interior design ideas across the globe offer a glimpse into this fascinating interplay between culture, caffeine, and artistic […]
Download this month's BLUPRINT magazine digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]