Concrete

Höweler + Yoon squeezed high-design landscape elements, like a fountain and built-in seating, into a small 15-by-13-foot space.

The grand and stately tree is the unchallenged star of the backyard. The round pool, made of made of white polished concrete and handcrafted cement floor tile, smartly pairs with the curved, east-side elevation of the home.

After purchasing a thin, L-shaped lot in Tokyo, Tamotsu Nakada asked architect and friend Koji Tsutsui to create an open-plan concrete home to fit the site.

Tsutsui continued the Oregon pine from the floor to the steel-reinforced cantilevered staircase, which appears to float above the floor.