Articles by Miwa Negoro

At a time of ecological emergency, architecture cannot be separated from the extractive systems on which it depends. As the technosphere expands, linking material flows, energy consumption, and digital infrastructures, design becomes increasingly entangled in these processes. How can design practice intervene in anthropocentric systems and transform the architectural process and aesthetics through an investigation of material intelligence? More broadly, how does architecture engage with the agency and intelligence of non-human entities to rebalance the environmental burden?

Set within the dense fabric of a bustling urban neighbourhood and constrained by a modest 4,000 sq. ft. plot, Jali House reimagines the potential of urban residential architecture. Far from feeling confined, the home crafts a serene and poetic spatial experience, proving that powerful architecture can emerge despite limitations. As its name suggests, Jali House is a thoughtful response to both climate and culture. India’s abundance of sunlight, the availability of locally sourced materials, and a deep architectural heritage formed the basis of the design strategy. The jali (lattice screen), a traditional element reinterpreted here in a modern idiom, becomes both symbol and solution; a tool to filter light, frame views, and moderate climate.

A joyful and thoughtful reinvention, Treehouse stands as a generous community gesture. A home where passersby can’t help but stop and stare, and the owners marvel at their bespoke forever home, which will serve them throughout all stages of life. “Though not perched among the trees itself, there’s an undeniable feeling of living within the canopy, the lively song of cockatoos just outside their bedroom window.”

Interface House is a residential renovation in Kuala Lumpur that rethinks outdoor living within the constraints of a developer-built zero-lot bungalow.

This house is planned in a quiet settlement in Uruma, in the central part of Okinawa’s main island. Having finished raising their children, the clients sought an environment where they could live more in accordance with themselves as they entered the next stage of their lives. Although the house was expected to accommodate a wide range of activities—work, hobbies, and daily life—the design did not begin by organizing these demands simply as functions or rooms. Instead, it took as its starting point how the architecture might respond to the environmental conditions specific to this place: intense sunlight, humid air, and winds that shift direction with the seasons. Rather than creating a container that satisfies individual requirements, the aim was to establish a frame that could receive both life and environment, and continue to evolve over time.

Home Pavilion celebrates the key social spaces of the family home: the kitchen, dining, and living spaces by locating them within a clearly legible pavilion building that holds the corner of its suburban site.

Our recent project, ‘q.d.c’, reimagines a small café tucked within one of Gangnam’s dense office clusters as a place of pause and reflection — a “second office” for those who move to the rhythm of work. The name takes inspiration from the medical abbreviation *qd*, meaning “once a day,” here reinterpreted as Quick Daily Coffee — a ritual celebrating everyday productivity and calm.

Vespa is a striking subtropical retreat that masterfully balances privacy, openness, and connection to nature. Designed as a sanctuary for a young family, the residence offers a dynamic interplay of raw concrete, warm timber, and striking black detailing—an architectural language rooted in biophilic principles and crafted to foster a deeper connection with its environment. Emphasising natural light, passive ventilation, and material authenticity, the dwelling becomes a tranquil retreat softened by cascading greenery and an abundance of daylight.