Project Name: Tent Cabin in OMORI

Location: Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan

Design Team: HUNE Architects

Total Floor Area: 77.85 m²

Completion: 2025

Photography: Yurika Takano

Design Features:

Project Tent Cabin in OMORI, designed by HUNE Architects, stands as a masterful expression of ancient architectural wisdom and contemporary family living needs nestled within a compact site adjacent to JR railway lines in Shinagawa, Tokyo. This 77.85-square-meter two-story timber residence exemplifies the perfect balance between distinctive fabric-like roof form and innovative spatial planning, redefining residential experiences for multigenerational families within compact urban footprints.

The project's most compelling design achievement lies in its intelligent discrete spatial stacking strategy. Designed for a family of four where each member possesses distinct hobbies requiring personal space without excessive interference, HUNE's design response arranged bedrooms in an L-shaped configuration, half-level staggered to follow the ascending gradient of the front road. Above the sleeping quarters, a low relaxation area, family dining space, and hobby workshop are discretely stacked along the staircase, creating a sense of openness that transcends the site's limited dimensions.

The architectural narrative unfolds through sophisticated roof construction, demonstrating remarkable structural innovation. The defining architectural element is the sweeping white roof, conceived as cloth gently laid over the entire composition. A central column pushes the roof upward to form the ridge, from which four roof planes including curved surfaces descend toward the perimeter. This configuration creates continuously changing relationships between roof and floor levels, with the distance between roof and ground constantly shifting according to human movement. As one ascends the staircase from the entrance, space gradually reveals itself, allowing residents to perceive the changing sense of interior-exterior distance through roof proximity and human circulation.

The choice of materials demonstrates innovative engineering technology pragmatism. The curved roof employs an innovative thin-plate laminated structure, bending 15mm cedar boards into three-layer assemblies totaling 45mm thickness, finished in white paint to diffuse light throughout the interior. Through MEMS acceleration sensor measurements of out-of-plane vibration conducted in factory and on-site, the 45mm thick curved laminated panel was confirmed to have a natural frequency approximately 2.5 times higher than 15mm thick single plates, verifying out-of-plane bending rigidity equivalent to 40mm thick single plates. The building utilizes timber frame structural system with mat foundation, achieving efficient spatial utilization with building coverage of 40.62 square meters and floor area ratio of 93% within a maximum height of 6.744 meters.

The façade treatment demonstrates the refinement of strategic fenestration design. Windows carved into the gaps between roof sections introduce natural light that illuminates the curved ceiling surfaces from the side, diffusing the changing color of light at each moment throughout the entire space. This carefully choreographed system of openings transforms the surrounding urban environment into an ever-changing backdrop for daily life, while the soft roof maintains appropriate distance between interior and exterior, gently protecting the family from railway noise and urban commotion.

The project's defining feature is its contemporary interpretation of the tabernacle archetype and high-performance building practices. The tabernacle is an ancient simple tent-like structure created by stretching and raising cloth to form space, built both as dwelling and as God's abode where humans encounter the divine, even perceived as symbolizing the human body itself. The design translates the image of relaxed cloth naturally draping to create place, generating temporary tabernacle space through the balance of human activity and natural mechanics, and transforming this into permanent residential architecture. The design team envisioned family members each finding their own place within the space formed beneath the cloth, spending time in their preferred manner. Tent Cabin in OMORI proves that thoughtful design can achieve contemporary translation of traditional architectural wisdom without sacrificing spatial quality, structural innovation, or residential comfort.

Design Team HUNE Architects, established in 2019 and led by principals Kota Tamaki, Julia Li Ka Yee, and Sei Hayashi, has distinguished itself as a leading Japanese practice renowned for its forward-thinking approach to contemporary residential and innovative spatial strategies. Based in Tokyo, with operations extending to projects throughout Japan, the firm demonstrates exceptional design excellence.

Under the creative direction of Kota Tamaki, Julia Li Ka Yee, and Sei Hayashi, the firm leads a dynamic multidisciplinary team including architects, designers, and researchers. Kota Tamaki graduated from the University of Tokyo, worked at Toyo Ito and Associates and engaged in commercial development at Nomura Real Estate, receiving the Tatsuno Prize in 2006 for best diploma project at the University of Tokyo. Julia Li Ka Yee, born in the UK, graduated from the University of Bath and the Architectural Association School of London, holds registered architect qualifications from the Architects Registration Board and RIBA Chartered Architect, and currently serves as visiting lecturer at Shibaura Institute of Technology. Sei Hayashi holds a doctorate in engineering from the University of Tokyo, serves as associate professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University, and his work has received the 2019 Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Award and the Japan Sign Design Award Silver Prize. Their collaborative approach embodies profound contemplation of architectural essence and continuous pursuit of humanized environments.

The firm's design philosophy centers on creating environments where humans can genuinely behave as human beings. HUNE recognizes that society has evolved into a seamlessly connected continuum where physical limitations have dissolved and mankind acquires new bodily sensations. Yet within this technological revolution, the firm strives to bring people back to their essential nature, continuously questioning what constitutes a true human nest. Their design methodology emphasizes transcending conventional architectural concepts, continuously questioning the essence of human nests with freer thinking, consistently delivering projects that balance innovation with pragmatism, spatial quality with residential comfort.

HUNE Architects, as a full-service architectural practice, demonstrates proficiency across diverse typologies, encompassing residential architecture, commercial facilities, cultural buildings, structural innovation research, and spatial experimental projects. Through a diverse portfolio spanning from experimental residences to innovative public buildings, the firm has established new paradigms in contemporary Japanese architecture, demonstrating consistent commitment to creating genuinely humanized environments. Their 2024 Good Design Award-winning HAUN TABATA project confirms the firm's exceptional standing in contemporary Japanese architectural practice. The firm believes in the essential value of architecture as human nest and infuses all work with dedication to those elements that truly return human life to its essence.