Project Name: Lib Earth House Model B

Location: Yamaga, Japan

Design Team: Lib Work Co., Ltd. + Arup + ogawaa design studio + Studio QTN

Total Floor Area: 98 m²

Completion: 2025

Photography: Akira Ito

Feature: Lib Earth House Model B, jointly designed by Lib Work Co., Ltd., Arup, ogawaa design studio, and Studio QTN, demonstrates how innovative integration of large-scale 3D-printed earthen walls with traditional timber framing can transform an experimental residence in Yamaga, Japan, into a contemporary architectural exemplar that embodies principles of environmental sustainability and habitability.

This single-story residence spanning approximately 100 square meters dramatically challenges traditional construction patterns, presenting itself as a profound exploration of future housing construction methods, local material applications, and biodegradable building systems integration. Through carefully considered structural integration and material optimization, it creates a living experience built entirely from locally sourced natural materials in harmonious coexistence with the Earth's environment.

The project's most compelling design feature lies in its fundamental integration and reimagining of emerging construction technologies with established building practices. Confronting the complex challenge of developing sustainable building systems while maintaining spatial quality and construction feasibility, the architects employed a hybrid structural system as the organizational strategy of the residence, enabling 3D-printed earthen walls to operate independently as self-supporting structures while achieving seismic safety and design flexibility. This design strategy creates continuous dialogue between architecture and environmental performance requirements, achieving structural innovation effects that seamlessly connect traditional construction wisdom with contemporary digital fabrication technologies.

The design team's architectural language fluently expresses sustainable design vernacular, employing strategic curvilinear wall configurations and clustered spatial layouts to redefine living experiences within the relationship between humans and nature. The architecture combines wall configurations based on orthogonal and 45-degree axes with curved segments to create interior experiences that evoke distinct spatial perceptions. Its form presents a restrained yet functional architectural expression, where earthen walls and timber frames remain mutually independent yet harmoniously coexistent, conveying overall structural rationality and environmental responsibility. This prudent formal strategy not only ensures structural compatibility with traditional timber framing but cleverly accommodates contemporary sustainable living's dual demands for material performance and spatial comfort.

Most remarkably, the architects create a layered wall system through clever formulation of soil, lime, and natural binders. Each wall measures approximately 450 millimeters thick, consisting of a double-layer system where inner and outer layers are connected through infill. Earthen walls are printed prior to timber erection, requiring reconsideration of construction detailing and tolerance strategies to accommodate the lower precision of current 3D printing systems. Walls extend into ceiling and roof volumes to absorb dimensional discrepancies, facilitate insulation, and enable attic ventilation. This structural design is integrated as part of the architectural language, prioritizing environmental performance while creating a visual effect where architecture engages in harmonious dialogue with natural material characteristics.

The residence is organized into a clustered plan layout. Earthen walls serve as continuous indoor-outdoor partitions, with strategically placed openings and voids enabling flexible spatial configurations tailored to occupant needs. Public spaces are concentrated, including living room and kitchen, enclosed by timber framing and glass. Externally, outdoor spaces penetrate between rooms, promoting a lifestyle closely connected to nature. To mitigate cracking from drying shrinkage, contraction joints are introduced at calculated intervals based on soil behavior, with ongoing monitoring of their effectiveness. Varying spatial configurations make the residence feel in continuous dialogue with the natural environment, maximizing natural light and ventilation, embodying environmentally friendly living concepts.

Material strategy continues this harmonious coexistence design philosophy between architecture and ecological responsibility. Integration with environmental sustainability is reinforced through the use of site-sourced earthen coatings, plant-dyed solid wood flooring, and other low-impact construction methods. Natural insulation materials are inserted into wall cavities, with environmental performance continuously monitored via embedded sensors. Wooden window frames are attached to earthen walls using specially designed hardware developed for this project, ensuring structural independence from the timber frame while maintaining water and air tightness. The project demonstrates integration of emerging technologies with traditional practices through environmentally efficient building methods, reducing environmental impact and reinforcing long-term habitability, showcasing the design team's commitment to environmental responsibility and architectural innovation.

Design Team: ogawaa design studio stands as a distinguished representative of contemporary Japanese architectural practice, founded in Osaka in 2019 by registered first-class architect Taishi Ogawa, having established a pioneering reputation in sustainable residential design, innovative construction technology integration, and environmentally responsive architectural language innovation since its founding. This Osaka-based practice redefines contemporary Japanese architects' role in international sustainable design discourse through deep integration of design and technical collaboration.

Principal architect Taishi Ogawa brings exceptional technical integration perspectives and deep understanding of construction systems to architectural practice. Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1971, Ogawa graduated from Kobe University's Department of Architecture in 1993 and completed his master's degree at Kobe University in 1995. Before establishing his independent practice, Ogawa worked at NTT Facilities Corporation from 1995 to 2019, accumulating 24 years of comprehensive technical expertise and project management experience. As a registered member of both the Architectural Institute of Japan and the Japan Institute of Architects, he maintains rigorous professional standards in all project deliverables.

The practice has garnered recognition for its commitment to harmoniously integrating innovative construction methods with environmental sustainability, creating technologically advanced yet ecologically responsible spatial experiences. Its portfolio encompasses experimental residential prototypes, commercial projects, and institutional architecture, demonstrating diversified yet cohesively unified design methodology, with each project characterized by meticulous attention to material performance, structural innovation, and environmental responsiveness.

The firm's design philosophy emphasizes that architecture should transcend traditional construction limitations, designed not merely to satisfy functional requirements but to explore how emerging technologies can advance sustainable building systems. Through deep attention to site-specific conditions and systematic research methodologies, working across diversified works from residential to commercial and institutional projects, they believe the best architecture results from environmentally responsive interventions through precise technical coordination and thoughtful material selection. ogawaa design studio believes architecture should serve as a carrier of long-term environmental harmony, creating unique architectural experiences through strategic interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative construction methods.

Beyond practice, through collaborative frameworks with international engineering consultancies and specialized design teams, thoughtful integration of advanced construction technologies with traditional craftsmanship, and tested sustainable design wisdom, ogawaa design studio has established itself as a significant contributor to contemporary Japanese sustainable architectural discourse, creating architectural works that are both technically viable and maintain ecological responsibility. Under the continued leadership of Taishi Ogawa, the firm currently occupies a unique position within Japan's architectural landscape, focusing on creating spatial experiences that achieve architectural quality through material innovation, structural optimization, and environmental performance integration.