This stunning Tokyo house was built on a 34 square-metre site

Land is scarce in most big cities, and often there are height restrictions that prevent massive high-rises.

But one architect in Tokyo came up with an innovative design solution for a tiny square block of land in the heart of the city. And he’s not the first. Many surprisingly clever housing solutions have come out of the cramped living quarters in cities throughout Asia.

Hiroyuki Unemori of Unemori Architects says this small house was designed for a young couple and their child in a densely populated area of Tokyo.

“Though the neighbouring houses are very close, I aimed to design the house to exceed the physical narrowness (that often determines) living at the city.”

Unemori laid out the 4m by 4m building in the centre of 34 square-metre site, which allowed some space for the flow of breezes around the building, and for light to penetrate. This position also made it possible to avoid setback regulations, while creating a 9m-high volume like a tower.

The inside is a simple structure with four open-plan floors connected by a spiral stairway. Each floor contains a single room.

A single, thin floorboard layer features on each level, and even the exterior “shutters” that can be pushed open for breezes are described as “paper thin”.

“I put windows in the best position to harmonise with the surroundings,” says the architect. ” And the windows are so big against the small rooms, every time the window opens or closes, the inside view dramatically changes.”

He says this is especially noticeable on the second and third floor, where there is a large hinged door in each room. “When this opened, the inside of the room is enveloped in light and wind as if you are outside.”

On the top floor there is a glass-fronted bathroom that opens onto a roof deck.

Unemori says the thin floorboards enhance the connection between the floors. And with the large windows open towards the city, the segmentation created by the stairs and the sense of inside and outside is diminished, “broadening the whole image of the house” and its relationship to the town.

• This article originally appeared on stuff.co.nz