Japanese Innovation in Adaptable Homes

Abstract

By the late 1960s, Japan's postwar housing boom had resulted in supply exceeding demand. But these buildings were poor quality and short‐lived. Since then, the country has seen various initiatives – both public and private – to improve the building stock and make it sustainable. Ranging from construction guidelines, to tax incentives, to technical innovations, they have achieved considerable success. Kazunobu Minami – Professor of Architecture at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo, who has worked as an architect for the Japanese government since 1981 – tells their story.