For more than nine decades, Fisher & Paykel has approached design with a simple but exacting belief: that the best living environments are those shaped by people, place, and purpose. Rooted in New Zealand and deeply attuned to island and coastal living, the brand’s philosophy centres on quiet performance, material honesty, and appliances that integrate […]
Mikumizaka Flats: A Unique Apartment Structure for Privacy and Comfort
Distinctiveness can be its own reward, but a unique structure that builds on that to create comfort and shelter for people can be even greater. The Mikumizaka Flats’ interpretation of an apartment complex embody this very well, and it gives us a look at how differently adaptive architecture can look from place to place.
Mikumizaka Flats can be found in Japan, and were built by the Hiroyuki Ito Architects with EOS Plus Consulting Engineering helping with the design.
Its structure differs from that of most buildings in the area. There’s a lack of uniformity in each room that makes it different from how most apartment complexes are built. Hiroyuki Ito Architects approached the project with a need to organize an apartment set-up that is unique not just from different buildings, but with each apartment itself.
Advertisement
Unique Construction of Rooms
Mikumizaka Flats attempts the creation of an expansive environment through the use of similar, repeating motifs and materials both on the inside and the outside of the building.
The apartment building utilizes a variety of methods to evoke these motifs. Its most offbeat idea is the way it slices apartment rooms diagonally instead of the straightforward rectangular layouts. And as a way of connecting different rooms diagonally, half-arches ensure that different rooms and areas are still interconnected.
The half-arches work horizontally and vertically. This helps separate rooms, and create the different staircases that bring the dwellers up and down the building. And because of the varying placements of the half-arches and diagonal walls per floor, each floor has a different composition and make-up in comparison to the other floors, making each flat totally unique from the others.
Bunker Flats
The materials used for the building are distinctive, if nothing else. These flats use stone and concrete to create its bunker-like look. When combined with the arches and diagonal walls, the interior and exterior of the building looks fortified like a citadel. One can even see the half-arches outside, giving it a uniformity with the interior of the building.
Advertisement
Other than stone, the building uses a lot of wood as well, from the sliding doors to the surfaces inside each apartment. It ensures that each room still evokes a feeling of the traditional Japanese styles of tatami mats and shoji sliding doors without ruining the chosen style of the architect.
Room-wise, it is very minimalistic in its idiosyncratic design. Most have about one or two bedrooms available, and just enough space for a bathroom and a small kitchen area. Due to the half-arches, the bathrooms curve inward or outward depending on where the arch is located. Some of the bathrooms are literally built inside the half-arch because of it; others have the room parted slightly due to its proximity to it.
The Mikumizaka Flats presents itself as a way of creating unique housing without losing the consistency of an apartment building. While each room is presented differently, there’s still a system in place so occupants can relax despite itself. And providing consistency in the uniqueness makes it an effective home for those who choose to live there.
Advertisement
Related reading: Cebu’s Bayanihan Flats is elevating low-cost housing
At Helm, dining unfolds as choreography. An open kitchen anchors the room, allowing guests to witness the precision behind its Michelin-starred fine dining menu. Designed by Kevin Nieves of Headroom, the 24-seat restaurant reflects that same discipline in its interior design. Tucked within Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati, Helm brings together culinary recognition and architectural […]
Advertisement
Exhibition designer Baby Imperial of All At Once shaped the spatial strategy of ALT ART 2026, its largest edition to date. The fair occupied Halls 1 and 2 of SMX Convention Center Manila, expanding in both footprint and ambition. Organized by the ALT Collective—Artinformal, Blanc, The Drawing Room, Galleria Duemila, Finale Art File, MO_Space, Underground, […]
ALT ART, organized by the ALT Collective—Artinformal, Blanc, The Drawing Room, Galleria Duemila, Finale Art File, MO_Space, Underground, Vinyl on Vinyl, and West Gallery—presents a focused platform for Philippine contemporary art. As the fair continues to evolve, it expands its scale and curatorial scope, reinforcing its growing presence within the Philippine art scene. Creative Practices […]
Inside Art Fair Philippines 2026: Religious Imagery, Material Experimentation, and Social Commentary
Art Fair Philippines 2026 gathered art enthusiasts and collectors in Makati for one of the country’s leading showcases of contemporary Philippine art. Designed by Nazareno/Lichauco, the fair moved to Circuit Corporate Center One in Ayala Circuit, marking a new chapter in its spatial identity. Across its booths and projects, the fair positioned contemporary Philippine art […]
Advertisement
Ronald Ventura is one of the most recognizable figures in Southeast Asian contemporary art. Since his first solo exhibitions in the 2000s, Ventura has become known for his signature multi-layered paintings. Featuring hyperrealism, cartoons, graffiti, and other recurring motifs, hisworks—from paintings to sculptures—are pluralistic in both form and material. Throughout his career, his art has […]
Download this month's BLUPRINT magazine digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]