Concrete Houses｜Custom-built homes by architecture firms9Picks｜The Aesthetics of Concrete and Comfortable Residential Environments

Concrete residences are recognized as an architectural expression that derives a distinctive beauty from the material’s sense of solidity and its uniform surface quality. Conversely, concrete has relatively high thermal conductivity, and without appropriate insulation strategies and condensation control, habitability can be compromised. Architectural practices, fully cognizant of these material characteristics, integrate measures such as thermal insulation detailing, careful planning of openings, and ventilation system design to achieve homes that reconcile aesthetic presence with comfort. We present case studies in which a robust materiality supports a calm and enriched everyday life.

"next" — a second house designed to be enjoyed from age 60 onward, for the next chapter of life. As a place to let go of the businesses you have built up to now and move on to a new stage, we planned spaces that include a studio for creative activities and an area with theater functions, a spacious living-dining-kitchen where you can relax, and amenities such as a sauna and a training room. A residence that richly embraces work, hobbies, health, and daily life, enabling you to fully enjoy the time ahead. It is "next", brimming with excitement and opening a new door in life.

Retaining the stone wall that embodies the memory of the town intact, this residence is constructed of reinforced concrete. Through two small courtyards it adroitly admits light and breezes while screening views from the exterior to ensure a high degree of privacy. By employing materials with a soft tactile quality, the dwelling composes calm, gentle interior spaces within a robust structural envelope.

Built on a residential lot surrounded on three sides by neighboring houses, this home is for a family of five. With the theme of reconciling privacy and a sense of openness, the ground floor contains an exposed cast‑in‑place concrete hobby space equipped with a motorcycle garage, and the second floor contains a generous living/dining/kitchen (LDK) wrapped in the warmth of wood. A central spiral staircase connects the spaces volumetrically, and light streaming from the toplight spreads throughout the residence. Although the plan provides no openings toward the street, a bright and expansive living environment is achieved through the careful layering of materials and the deliberate treatment of light.

A villa built on a sloped site in Karuizawa, where an undulating concrete roof, stepped floors, and curved walls bring a time-based experience of strolling through the forest into the interior. Pursuing "freedom and the unpredictable," the house is designed so its interior cannot be easily anticipated from the exterior; the roof transforms along the approach into an arch that covers visitors and the roof over the parking area offers an immediate "mountain walk." The roof’s undulations are reflected in the ceiling, and terraced stepped floors and trunk-like curved walls with niches containing bookshelves, a kitchen, and a fireplace create varied behaviors and shifts in sightlines, allowing one to experience expansive views and a polyphonic landscape.

Located in a quiet residential neighborhood in the city center, this house occupies a sloping site with an elevation change of approximately 5 m. Under the constrained conditions of being enclosed by adjacent buildings, the design secures residential floor area through a three-level configuration that includes a basement. A sequence of split-level living spaces and a stair atrium approximately 10 m in height are provided so that daylight from a skylight reaches down to the basement. The top floor is conceived as an open space connected to a garden and roof terrace; the contrast with the calm atmosphere of the basement creates a three-dimensional residence evoking a natural ravine.

In a typical three-bedroom (3LDK) apartment the plan places two bedrooms on the corridor side, the living/dining/kitchen on the balcony side, and a single room between them. That intermediary room often suffers from poor daylighting, ventilation and air‑conditioning conditions and frequently cannot accommodate layouts that adapt flexibly to changing needs. In this scheme the middle room is fitted with fully opening sliding doors so it can function as an independent room, as part of an enlarged LDK, or as a semi‑enclosed partitioned space, enabling variable and flexible use.

This residence was planned to reconcile the opposing requests of a wife who loves antiques and desired a home reminiscent of a traditional folk house, and her son who sought a robust dwelling of exposed cast-in-place reinforced concrete (RC). Beyond a contemporary exposed-concrete gateway is fitted an antique storehouse door; when opened it leads into a double-height space where an earthen doma finished with arakida clay spreads out. Reclaimed timber beams and Japanese cedar plank flooring, carefully selected in Nagano, bring a sense of nostalgia and tranquility even within the city, creating a home in which the passage of time can be felt gently.

An urban courtyard house that ensures optimal privacy.

Satellite residence with an attached drum studio, planned on an 8 tsubo site. The semi‑basement reinforced‑concrete studio, though under six tatami in area, is a full‑scale soundproofed volume with a high ceiling; thick walls, floor and ceiling ensure performance that prevents even low‑frequency bass and vibration from transmitting to the exterior. The timber-framed residence on the upper floor incorporates borrowed greenery and open views, achieving a level of comfort that belies its roughly eight‑and‑a‑half tatami size. The stepped floor functions multipurpose as counters and seating, creating a variety of places to inhabit; at the same time those level changes contribute to sound diffusion and support a favorable acoustic environment. It is a dwelling in which music and daily life are concentrated within a limited space.