preface

Chapter 1: There's a reason why a home feels good.
Building a house is like designing a home, and packing a lunchbox is like packing a lunchbox.
A place to relax before opening the front door
Why do we take off our shoes at the entrance?
The narrow staircase room may be due to a failure in the staircase design.
People who open doors want to move around comfortably.
The door follows the heart of such a person.
The living room, a room where the whole family gathers
The dining room table is much larger than it appears.
Even for kitchen design experts, kitchen appliance placement isn't easy.
Kitchen + Dining Room (Flat) The refrigerator is a jack-of-all-trades.
Be loved and close to everyone
Kitchen + Dining Room (Cross-section) Achieving the perfect island kitchen isn't easy.
If you place your bed in the wrong position, you could end up diving in the middle of the night.
The storage items are alive.
They like to wander around and are nocturnal.
Column 1___ Building a home that flexibly adapts to your family's timetable
Washing your hands in the bathroom is done in the bathroom.
To soak in the bathroom bathtub or not
If you don't have a place for the washing machine, you can't decorate the washroom.
A water supply, hot water supply, and drainage system is a place where water constantly flows through.
Column 2___ Start with the ordinary

Chapter 2 The shape of the box has meaning
Roof and eaves On rainy days, it's like holding an umbrella, wearing a raincoat
It's not just noblewomen who appreciate the value of a parasol under the eaves.
What kind of hat should I put over the sunshade window?
Making a Wall and a Hole Should I Make a Hole in the Wall or Block the Hole with a Wall?
Why are windows, doors, and openings in buildings necessary?
Should insulation and ventilation be done or should it be stopped?
The air always hesitates
Are you planning to blow the wind out of the window with an air conditioner?
Absorb, block, or muffle sound
Column 3___ The concept appears only after the whole thing is completed.
The land and the road The land is hanging on the road
The direction of the land is determined by the road.
Two people in the building's layout 'Rubin's Jar'
Parking spaces Cars take up more space than they appear.
Column 4___ Is it not possible to use an ordinary sliding door?

Chapter 3: Just like people, measurements have habits.
You can cross the branches by using both hands without having to come down from the tree every time.
column 5___ Topology of the plane
Sharing and exclusive use of space (privacy) You, your family, many of you
Sharing and exclusive use of equipment: what's mine is mine, what's everyone's is mine
Why does the Chuck and Ping method still persist?
The simpler the rules of grid and module puzzles, the better.
A house with walls that are not thick enough to support the base line and the wall thickness cannot stand.
A hamburger without bread is tasteless.
Column 6___ There is also a purpose called purposelessness.

Conclusion

The knowledge and wisdom of home design are replaced with difficult architectural terms, with over 550 points.
An interesting architectural story told with illustrations and simple, straightforward sentences.

Why should bathroom doors open outward rather than inward? What is the relationship between a toilet and the bathroom entrance? Unlike Westerners who remove their shoes only after entering their own rooms, why do we remove them at the entrance? In what order should kitchen appliances—represented by the refrigerator, range, cutting board, and sink—be arranged? What kind of storage design should we employ to organize all the objects floating around? … In this way, architectural design is the work of fully embodying the deeply ingrained traces of our lifestyles and thinking while adding creative newness to them.

The recently published 『Housing Anatomy Guide』 is a unique architectural book that contains philosophical reflections on the structure and design of houses, and through these, changes the perspectives we have. Since its publication in November 2009, it has maintained the number one spot in the architecture category of Amazon Japan and has been a long-term bestseller.
And, as a rare architectural book, it is one whose copyrights have been exported to several countries, including China and Taiwan.
This book has a big difference from other architecture books.
The biggest difference is that, despite being in the form of an illustrated guide, it doesn't simply contain practical knowledge about housing design. Instead, it faithfully explains the fundamentals of architecture through the author's signature, entertaining analogies and explanations, providing us with an opportunity to gain a new perspective on life and architecture.
Furthermore, instead of using difficult architectural terms, we used over 550 small, warm illustrations and simple sentences to make it easier for the general public to understand and enjoy architecture.

The author says this about the significance of publishing this book:

“This book is for those who are so absorbed in design that they reach a dead end or get confused by overcomplicating the problem, and recommend that they go back to basics.
“This is a suggestion to first stand at the starting point and once again reflect on the meaning of the space and device you are aiming for.”
Although architecture is our specialty, we will encounter a warm and refreshing book on architecture that is full of philosophy.


Every space and layout in a home has its own fundamental reason!
A New Perspective on Home Building for Architects, Building Owners, and Architecture Students

As you read the book, you will discover the author's unique perspective on the design and structure of a house.
But it is not so much the author's unique perspective as an awakening to a fundamental idea that we have forgotten.
For example, why do bathroom doors open outward instead of inward? While doors are supposed to open inward, this can lead to situations where the person inside the door cannot move.
Bathrooms and warehouses are representative examples.
In the case of the front door, it is ideal for it to open inward from the perspective of welcoming guests, but if the floor of the front door is not wide enough, shoes may get caught on the door when opening it, so this principle cannot always be applied.
In the West, front doors open inward, which is possible because in these countries people do not wear shoes.

Let's take another example.
When placing a double bed in a bedroom, it is often placed against the wall.
But in this case, the author says, if the person using the outer side falls asleep first, the co-sleeper will have to dive towards the pillow.
When lying down in bed, the rule is to get up from the side.
Additionally, to make the bed well, you need to consider the space in three directions: both sides and underneath.
Therefore, unlike other furniture, bedroom furniture should not be placed wherever and however you want in the room, but rather, other design elements such as the location of windows, outlets, and lighting fixtures should be considered along with its location.
Ultimately, it is not design for design's sake, but design that is centered on humans.

The stories about design and structure discussed in this book are not limited to architects.
It also provides a new perspective on many aspects for the general public, including homeowners who are planning to build a house.
You will encounter a textbook on architecture and a guide to life from an architect who has been teaching housing design at a university for over 20 years while designing in actual fields.


What we need more than 'bloodshot eyes' that seek out novel ideas is 'ordinary eyes' that look at the fundamentals!

The book contains over 550 engaging illustrations and the author's unique metaphors and explanations.
The use of space in a house can be likened to various lunch boxes; the word 'organizing' does not mean the same as 'stow'; the room called 'child's room' does not have a child in it forever, so the composition of space must be planned so that it can flexibly respond to changes in the family at any time; the awning above the window can be likened to a hat; when we put on our shoes at the front door, we unconsciously make a new resolution for what we have to do outside, and when we take our shoes off, we let our minds go; etc. The author's explanatory style completely eliminates the feeling of a stiff technical book and easily and faithfully conveys expert content to general readers.

As the general public's interest in housing construction grows, dreaming of one day escaping from apartments, this book will establish itself as a solid foundation for building a truly beautiful "place to live"—one that teaches us that architecture isn't just a trend, nor is it simply a yearning for flashy buildings.