Articles by Miwa Negoro

The remodelled building is located in a residential area, one block behind the major road in a commercial area, near Gangneung City Hall and Gangneung Bus Terminal. The project of remodelling was to convert a former office building with a statical atmosphere into a couple’s house. With roads formed in a north-south direction, the building is less oriented towards the south than open to the northwest landscape, offering views of Daegwallyeong Pass.

The remodelled building is located in a residential area, one block behind the major road in a commercial area, near Gangneung City Hall and Gangneung Bus Terminal. The project of remodelling was to convert a former office building with a statical atmosphere into a couple’s house. With roads formed in a north-south direction, the building is less oriented towards the south than open to the northwest landscape, offering views of Daegwallyeong Pass.

Seongbuk-dong, located on Seongbuk-ro, still retains traces of old houses scattered throughout the area. In the past, the homes of literati and famous figures were concentrated along the former Seongbukcheon stream. While many of these houses are gone, with only their sites remaining, some are still preserved today. I believe the urban landscape here—moderately filled yet appropriately vacant, maintaining a relaxed, slow pace amidst the hyper-density of central Seoul—is unique.

Located in the vibrant neighborhood of Bali, Sipat & Sauh Villa redefines the idea of a rental property by bringing the intimacy and warmth of a private home into a hospitality setting. The client’s brief was simple yet challenging: to design a pool villa for rent that feels deeply personal—”homey”—while still making a strong architectural statement. The design began with an exploration of what was missing from most rental villas on the island: the sense of familiarity, softness, and spatial intimacy that makes a house feel lived in rather than staged.

The large-scale public furniture Reaction Field, installed in an urban rooftop garden, is a spatial experiment that explores new pattern formations in public space through a curvilinear structure radiating and branching from its center. The circular canopy at the core functions as a device emphasizing centrality, while the diverging curves extend outward, varying systematically within a controlled set of rules.

The planned site is an established villa district in Karuizawa that has long cherished and maintained its moss gardens. Broadleaf trees like konara and mizunara spread their branches, forming a canopy overhead. Beneath the dappled sunlight, moss layers upon moss have been cultivated through continuous human care—raking fallen leaves and meticulous weeding—weaving a pristine, plush natural carpet.

When planning a small building, understanding the land, its surroundings, and the user’s needs becomes crucial. On a compact site, the form is often dictated by constraints—lot size, shape, entry points, and stairs. Yet when interpreted creatively, such limitations can yield a distinctive story, the kind that defines the charm of small houses.

Choosing to remain in this coveted pocket of North Fremantle, our clients sought to expand rather than relocate – a challenge made intricate owing to the site’s strict heritage controls. The brief called for additional floor space, including a new master bedroom suite and a versatile space to serve as either a study or second living area. Drawing on the client’s distinct Mediterranean sensibility, our role was to translate this relaxed approach to contemporary living with the home’s existing heritage character.

When I began designing my own house in the center of Amami Island, I never imagined it would eventually be disconnected from the power grid. Yet, as environmental degradation accelerates and extreme weather becomes the norm, that choice became inevitable. The decision was catalyzed by a mountain I purchased three years earlier—a place where I began developing my own micro-infrastructure to live independently, preparing for unforeseen crises while envisioning new forms of resilience in aging, depopulated regions.