Tower House by Takamitsu Azuma

Japan is known for its unusually shaped houses but one of the pioneers of this unique approach to private architecture was architect Takamitsu Azuma’s "Tower House." When the house was built in 1966, even central Tokyo was still low-rise, so the structure towered over the surrounding homes like a skyscraper. Today, it appears remarkably small.

Architect Takamitsu Azuma moved to Tokyo in 1966 and purchased this tiny plot of land in the city center—just 20 m²—to build a home for his family. He designed the building as a continuous vertical space, with the staircase as its central element. The house rises around the staircase across six levels, creating 65 m² of living space. There are no interior doors; instead, the rooms seem to "stack" on top of one another. The layered structure is further emphasized by the façade, made of raw concrete with a striking horizontal texture.

Remarkably, the house has been preserved and is still in use. It reflects how architecture adapted to the changing urban conditions of that era and demonstrates just how much the scale of residential buildings has evolved.

Name: Tower House by Takamitsu Azuma / 塔の家 by 東孝光
City: Tokyo
Address: view the address
Architect: Takamitsu Azuma
Year: 1966

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