Yokohama Aoba
Yokohama Aoba is a house designed to bring nature back into urban living. The home stands on a pentagonal plot and is arranged around a central courtyard that connects all rooms and opens the interior to the sky. Two stairways begin at the entrance, and the rooms fan out around the courtyard, while a narrow passage links the wings at the rear. The circulation forms a continuous double loop, so each room has its own route and residents can move without crossing paths. Natural light and air flow through the house, reducing energy use.
Yokohama Aoba Housing by Kei Tamai has been highlighted as an outstanding example of architectural design by the A' Design Award. Yokohama Aoba Housing earned the Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design in 2025. The A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award is an international, juried, academic and meritocratic design award which celebrates outstanding design of skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions, religious structures, infrastructure designs, landscaping projects and more.
