Winner: Urban house of the year 2019. Japanese architect Katsutoshi Sasaki designed this 102-square-metre house for his family in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture.

Called T Noie, which refers to the house's T-shaped structure, the property features a dark-painted facade of red cedar and a bright, airy interior. From the outside, the tall and narrow building appears to have very few windows, with an uninterrupted facade of painted wooden planks. The only openings are clerestory windows that wrap around the top of the walls and a sliding glass door positioned on one side. In contrast to the dark exterior, the interior is lined with natural Falcata plywood and has a largely open-plan layout. It boasts a towering eight-metre-high ceiling that provides sight lines right from the top to the bottom of the building. Katsutoshi Sasaki designed the small width of the house from the human perspective in order to create a sense of comfort.

Judges comments: Judges on the architecture panel liked the project for its “simplicity, use of material and spatial organisation”. “It has an incredibly strong attitude towards its context''.

Architect: Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
Project: T Noie
Winner of: Urban house of the year
Read more: Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates