A Departure Point for Connection: Design & Dialogue in Tsukuba

In the cerebral sprawl of Tsukuba, Japan’s renowned "Science City," the urban narrative has long been one of rapid acceleration. Born from a 1987 administrative merger and energized by the arrival of the Tsukuba Express in 2005, the city has become a global magnet for intellect, drawing researchers, students, and academics from every corner of the earth. Yet, in this rush to construct the future, the city was left with a distinct human void.

While the station front gleams with efficiency, the city has lacked the "third places" essential for a mature community: spaces where newly arrived international scientists and long-settled local residents can simply interact. The challenge was clear: how do you create a "commoning" space in a city shaped by transience?

The answer emerges quietly, in the form of a project that is part gallery, part sanctuary, and wholly devoted to the art of connection.

A Sanctuary of Light and Curves

L’hirondelle is designed by Hiro Nakata Atelier, based in Japan. Stepping inside, one is immediately struck by the project’s refusal to be merely a point of commercial transaction. The design language speaks of embrace. The eye is drawn first to the entrance, where a sweeping, arc-shaped wall guides the visitor inward. Finished in white plaster (shikkui), the wall features recessed niches carved directly into the surface. These shelves hold coffee beans and goods not as merchandise, but as art pieces, bathed in a soft, diffuse light that gently washes over the mortar floor. This is a masterclass in the art of subtraction, removing visual noise to amplify a sense of calm.

The Materiality of Time

In a city often obsessed with the new, this space bravely champions the beauty of age. The spatial choreography centers around a striking U-shaped counter, designed to dissolve the barrier between barista and guest. Look closer at the details: the wainscoting is clad in rusted iron plates.

This choice of oxidized metal is poetic. It introduces texture and the passage of time, a patina, into the pristine environment. Paired with the warmth of dark wood, leather, and hand-finished plaster, these materials ground the space. It feels tactile and real, a deliberate counterpoint to the sterile laboratories that populate the city.

Framing the View

The genius of the layout lies in its permeability. A low, continuous wooden bench runs along the glazing, inviting patrons to sit and gaze outward. The architecture borrows the lush greenery of the streetscape, drawing the changing seasons into the shop. This visual connection does more than please the eye; it serves as a bridge, blurring the line between the private sanctuary within and the vibrant public life outside.

A New Social Fabric

Ultimately, this project is fueled by the belief that coffee possesses the power to transcend borders. By collaborating with local artisans on the furniture and cultivating a gallery-like atmosphere, the shop weaves itself into the regional story.

This is a space designed to grow deeper, not merely older. As the iron develops richer patina and the wood darkens, as conversations among strangers blossom into friendships, this corner of Tsukuba is becoming exactly what the city needs: a departure point for a journey toward a warmer, more connected future.

This Project is one of the submission from Merci x Sky Design Awards 2026

Company: hiro nakata atelier

Website: https://hnkt-a.com

Radical Resilience: The Off-Grid House in Amami Ōshima

On the subtropical center of Amami Ōshima, an emerging residential typology has quietly emerged, one that rejects centralized infrastructure in favor of radical autonomy. Born from a necessity to address the accelerating environmental shifts and the fragility of remote regions, the Off-Grid House is less a mere dwelling and more a laboratory for future living.

The project represents a sophisticated dialogue with the island’s vernacular memory. Confronted by the island’s notoriously low solar irradiation, comparable to northern Japan, the residence functions as a self-circulating ecosystem, defying the region’s oppressive humidity without external power or air conditioning.

Architecturally, the home deconstructs the historical buntō (multi-volume) layout into five distinct geometric volumes. This separation creates a network of in-between spaces, fluid thresholds that dissolve the boundary between human habitation and the natural world Reanimating Amami’s spirit of yui (collective cooperation), the architecture accommodates the island’s traditional large-scale gatherings, proving that even in an age of uncertainty, the home can remain a vital cultural platform.

The Architect’s Statement

When I began the design of my residence in central Amami Ōshima, total disconnection from the power grid was not the initial intent. However, as environmental degradation accelerates and extreme weather becomes our new normal, that choice has become inevitable.

The decision was catalyzed by a mountain property I purchased three years ago. This was a place where I began developing micro-infrastructure to live independently. I wanted to prepare for unforeseen crises while envisioning creative forms of resilience for Japan’s aging, depopulated regions. However, implementing full self-sufficiency deep in the mountains proved difficult.

• The Urban Experiment: To test the feasibility of off-grid living, I chose my own urban residence as the experimental site. Their main challenge was the island’s limited sunlight. After evaluating wind, hydro, and geothermal options, solar remained the only practical path. Ten days before the groundbreaking ceremony, I decided to sever the national grid connection completely.

• Vernacular Engineering The result is an autonomous house that allows a family of four to live comfortably, rooted in the island’s vernacular memory.

• Spatial Logic: Inspired by the region’s historical buntō style, the house consists of five independent volumes (bath, bedroom, storage, etc.). The spaces between these volumes serve as shared living areas, connecting fluidly to verandas and gardens.

• Climate Response: The roof form reinterprets local corrugated-metal and irimoya profiles. It integrates layers of insulation and ventilation while referencing elevated Takakura granaries. This allows wind to pass freely in all directions to combat humidity.

Sustainability in a Living Ecosystem is circular in nature. A small wood-fired sauna uses construction offcut fuel. Food waste is composted and returned to the vegetable garden, creating a closed loop between the builder, the site, and the family’s table.

Amami is known as the Island of Ties. While traditions fade with urbanization, this house restores cultural rhythm.

Family celebrations often gather over eighty relatives, continuing late into the night. The open, tolerant spaces of this house naturally invite people to gather, blurring the distinction between private dwelling and communal place. This project redefines contemporary home as both a shelter and a cultural platform. It is an architecture that sustains life beyond the grid while inheriting the spirit of Yui. It is a quiet re-examination of what it means to inhabit in the age of environmental uncertainty.

This Project is one of the submission from Merci x Sky Design Awards 2026

SAKAI ARCHITECTS :

Website: https://sakaiarchitects.com/index.html