Hong Kong architects Cheungvogl have designed two identical houses to be built side by side in Tokyo, Japan.

Each house will have a long, thin courtyard planted with a single tree.

Made of rough concrete and aged timber, both buildings have smaller structures with pitched roofs perched on top.

Here's some more information from Cheungvog:

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2 houses in Tokyo, cheungvogl

Looking out, seeing people come and go while trees are standing still, witnessing the change of scenery season after season.

Street poles spanning across the narrowest allies, providing mysterious connections between houses.

Window view becomes an extension to the outside world. It measures time quietly.

The two houses, standing side by side, related and yet separated. Its outline traces back years of history within the context. Simple detailing, rough concrete and aged timber are elements that tie the two houses together. Within them, store calmness.

Inside the house, the connection to the outside is reduced down to two linear courtyards. Framing 'the tree' standing on a sheet of white gravel, absence from the city's influence, quietly documenting time. Contrary to the ground floor, the pitched roof is a small space enclosing the stair leading to an undefined open room - the roof itself. Three meter above ground, the city skyline seems almost tangible. Looking back, 'the tree' - is standing still.

The project. 2 houses in Tokyo is a private development that consists of 2 almost identical houses, occupying 2 identical plots. House 2a is to be occupied by the client, a Japanese-German couple, based in Tokyo. House 2b is for sale.

The client's requirements are clear.

Calm, but not sterile.
Humble, and yet unexpected.
Economical, nothing extravagant.
Open space with flexible floor plans and a space to contemplate.

By the choice of materials like fair-face in-situ and pre-cast concrete, industrial finished flooring and local construction techniques with simple details, the project stays under budget. This opens up opportunities to custom design furniture pieces as prototypes for House 2a, such as the kitchen unit, the dining table, the courtyard bench and the floor-sitting-couch.

Cheungvogl is a young international architectural practice founded in 2008. The design studio is based in Hong Kong and led by Chinese-Canadian architect Judy Cheung and German architect Christoph Vogl.