Towards a new society brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic;
Compact Urban Housing in the “With, After Corona” Era
Hiroyuki Usami, President, Chief Executive Officer, Nikken Housing System Ltd.
（The positions in this article were current at the time of publication.）
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Today, society is facing a diverse set of challenges.
Problems with declining birthrates, aging populations and nursing care, the staggering rate of speed of workstyle reform, the dizzying pace of change in the social and economic environment as a result of DX (digital transformation), and the increasing intensity of natural disasters. As well, the spread of COVID-19 has set a new way of life, “With, After Corona”, into motion. In addition to requirements that our homes be equipped with functions that allow us to both work and study, such as in working and learning remotely, new perceptions and needs have started to emerge, including an increased awareness of health and hygiene.
Hiroyuki Usami, President, Chief Executive Officer, Nikken Housing System Ltd.
（The positions in this article were current at the time of publication.）
Disassembling and reassembling the “nLDK” home
I would like to consider the potential of unit plans, taking compact urban housing in Japan as an example, which has been mockingly referred to in other parts of the world as “rabbit hutches”. The move away from the “nLDK”-style housing plan for a more comfortable urban living experience and the search for smaller, but more ingenious “free-form housing” has had a major impact on the diversification of lifestyles and life values. However, our self-quarantined lifestyles during the coronavirus pandemic revealed the many disadvantages of this “freestyle housing” as a space for work, although there have also been some positive new discoveries. On another front, the “nLDK”-style house, with its emphasis on individual rooms, may need to be re-evaluated in some cases. In any case, there are likely not many “homes” that achieved a passing grade. To find out some of the answers to our questions, we solicited ideas on “living spaces” from Nikken Housing System’s executive officers and employees who are working from home.
We received countless ideas, and while there were a wide variety housing styles and needs required for each individual lifestyle, we saw a tendency for people to shift their attention to healthier lifestyles, like a desire to get out into the fresh air and get back in touch with the soil, such as with kitchen gardens.
In light of this, I believe that we, as housing architects and designers, must take up a new approach to disassemble the structures of conventional living based on the experiences in our own homes and reconstruct them as living spaces for the “With, After Corona” era.
In light of this, I believe that we, as housing architects and designers, must take up a new approach to disassemble the structures of conventional living based on the experiences in our own homes and reconstruct them as living spaces for the “With, After Corona” era.
The “WAC Home”, a compact house with an open terrace living space
Gaining new insights from the past: Learning from the “51C” masterpiece
The history of apartment complexes offers a hint about what it means to live in a space that allows us to have diverse and flexible lifestyles, even in a limited space.
The “51C-type” standard design for public housing emerged in 1951 at the very start of Japan’s period of rapid economic growth. This standard had a major influence on people, inspiring the famous architect of apartment complexes, Riken Yamamoto, to praise its virtues, saying that it was not a “just a revolution inside the box of a single house, but rather a set of innovations in the form of a housing complex”. This masterpiece became the basis for the “nLDK” unit, reflecting the theory of “separating rooms for eating and sleeping” in a tiny house of only 12 tsubo（ approx. 39.67m². In fact, if you remove the walls, tatami mats and fusuma, or papered sliding doors, from the clearly demarcated living area, you will be able to see the basic shape of today’s diversified “non-nLDK”.
The “51C-type” standard design for public housing emerged in 1951 at the very start of Japan’s period of rapid economic growth. This standard had a major influence on people, inspiring the famous architect of apartment complexes, Riken Yamamoto, to praise its virtues, saying that it was not a “just a revolution inside the box of a single house, but rather a set of innovations in the form of a housing complex”. This masterpiece became the basis for the “nLDK” unit, reflecting the theory of “separating rooms for eating and sleeping” in a tiny house of only 12 tsubo（ approx. 39.67m². In fact, if you remove the walls, tatami mats and fusuma, or papered sliding doors, from the clearly demarcated living area, you will be able to see the basic shape of today’s diversified “non-nLDK”.
(Left) Reprinted from “51C White Paper: My Postwar History in Architectural Planning” by Shigefumi Suzuki
(Right) Okurayama Heim No.6 building, dwelling unit floor plan and photo of updated shaft
From “updates” to “transformation”
Nearly 20 years after the emergence of the standard “51C-type” design, construction was completed on Okurayama Heim (1979), designed at the time that Nikken Housing System was founded. This apartment complex would later go on to receive the BELCA Award (Long Life Category), which is offered to a long-standing building maintained in good condition that has stood the test of time. One of the reasons for its acclaim is that it can easily accommodate future facility updates and extensions as a large pipe space has been installed that allows for maintenance to be performed directly from the common area without the need to enter the dwelling units. Today’s multi-family housing complexes adopt the concept of “SI (skeleton & infill)”, in which a house is separated into sections that will remain the same over time, such as the structural frame, and those that are expected to change, such as the interior or equipment/facilities, a concept that is evident in Okurayama Heim. Now, forty years after Okurayama Heim, Nikken Housing System has continued to perform research and development on devising moveable partitions for storage and moveable kitchens to allow residents themselves to adapt more freely and comfortably to the changing times and their family needs without being confined by a building’s structure, facilities or equipment.
However, even if it is possible to acquire a home that can be easily updated and tailored to different stages in life, we realized that it will not be adequate for our daily lives in the “With, After Corona” years. Today, our lifestyles must not only keep pace with the changing times and the needs of our families, but also the short span of changes in our daily lives. For example, we can say that as the amount of time we spend at home increases, there will be demand for housing that can be freely “transformed” at will, such as the need to add a study or bedroom at times to a house with limited space. One of our answers to this conundrum is “ZIZAIKU”, a system that can partition off rooms in a kaleidoscope of variations. This concept developed by Nikken Housing Systems can be used to partition off rooms with a free-moving fusuma wall, breaking the “curse” of the threshold and head jamb.
However, even if it is possible to acquire a home that can be easily updated and tailored to different stages in life, we realized that it will not be adequate for our daily lives in the “With, After Corona” years. Today, our lifestyles must not only keep pace with the changing times and the needs of our families, but also the short span of changes in our daily lives. For example, we can say that as the amount of time we spend at home increases, there will be demand for housing that can be freely “transformed” at will, such as the need to add a study or bedroom at times to a house with limited space. One of our answers to this conundrum is “ZIZAIKU”, a system that can partition off rooms in a kaleidoscope of variations. This concept developed by Nikken Housing Systems can be used to partition off rooms with a free-moving fusuma wall, breaking the “curse” of the threshold and head jamb.
Bold transformation with changes in family structure
Example of ZIZAIKU applications in 51C-type standard design
Transforming homes with DIY projects
In the ZIZAIKU system, steel plates are embedded in the ceiling and the upper edge of the fusuma wall is magnetic, making it easy to partition off any area you want without limitations. Light enough to be moved easily by individuals even if they are not physically strong, the system can be used not only for fusuma, but also for blinds, shelves and shoji screens. In addition to using your DIY sense to set up rooms as you like, the system also gives you the freedom to transform your unique home to suit your daily life, depending on your ideas.
This is simply one technique, but I feel that it holds enough promise to provide us with hints for exploring novel styles of housing in our new everyday lives.
There are only a limited number of households that can relocate easily. I strongly believe in the importance of rethinking the structure of our lives so that we can become soundly resilient to the various challenges facing society in the “With, After Corona” age. I would like to take this opportunity to explore new possibilities for cities and rural areas, including ideal places to live and work, and to think together with you about how to realize the well-being of all people in a sustainable society.(July 31, 2020)
This is simply one technique, but I feel that it holds enough promise to provide us with hints for exploring novel styles of housing in our new everyday lives.
There are only a limited number of households that can relocate easily. I strongly believe in the importance of rethinking the structure of our lives so that we can become soundly resilient to the various challenges facing society in the “With, After Corona” age. I would like to take this opportunity to explore new possibilities for cities and rural areas, including ideal places to live and work, and to think together with you about how to realize the well-being of all people in a sustainable society.(July 31, 2020)
