Spoon & Tamago - japanese art, design and culture

Fifty years ago, on October 10, 1964, the Olympic torch arrived at Tokyo’s National Stadium to mark the beginning of the summer Olympics. 5 years earlier, when Tokyo was awarded the right to host the games Tokyo went on a construction spree with new buildings, highways and trains being built. By the time the games began not only did Tokyo look brand new but so did it’s population, which had grown exponentially to 10 million people.

Currently that number, depending on what area you classify as Tokyo, sits at around 37 million. And despite its impeccable mass transit system, numerous parks and safety, the metropolis poses similar challenges that all city dwellers face: the issue of space.

For several years now the trend among architects has been to build residential homes higher, taking advantage of the air above us. But these designer homes tend to come with a hefty price tag. Now, MUJI, Japan’s minimalist stationary and furniture company, wants to give more people space with their “Vertical House.”

While the company is certainly better known for their smaller items, a couple years ago they started offering prefabricated homes that embody the MUJI aesthetic. And their most recent design – the 3rd in their series – is this vertical house.

The 3-story home features an open stairwell the stretches all the way to the top. And beveled floors create unique spaces for different members of the family. But even though these are cookie-cutter homes, they don’t all have to look the same. MUJI is offered 7 different variations to accommodate different types of families. Depending on which make you choose the homes cost between about 20 – 25 million yen to build.