^{House in Ayase (綾瀬の家), 2008}

^{House in Nakamurabashi (中村橋の家), 2006}

All the images above are from the houses designed and built by Nissyo Kogyo, a small building contractor in Tokyo that we mentioned earlier. It seems they have a good in-house photographer, and their website is fun to explore if you love architecture. Click on “WORKS” in the top navigation links and you will find thumbnails of their works.

All Photos Courtesy of Nissyo Kogyo Co. / © Nissyo Design Dept. All rights reserved.
 

Mid to small size building contractors are called “Komuten” (or Sekoya-san) in Japan. It sounds old-fashioned to us but it’s a nice term.　I may be getting a bit nostalgic since I had often worked with the people at these Komutens for my commissioned projects before I moved to the US, and the word means more than just a contractor to me… almost like a team of perfectionists.

Although things might have changed in the past two decades, when I see a precise construction and impeccable finish like in this house, I can’t deny thinking that there are still many Komutens in Japan that could meet Tadao Ando’s (almost sick) standard of excellence in building construction. Nissyo Kogyo, the general contractor for this house, sure looks like one of them.

^Architects: Shinichi Ogawa Associates  
^{General contractor:} Nissyo Kogyo Co.  
^Type: Single family residence  
^Location: Kichijyoji, Tokyo  
^Ccompletion: 2007  
^{Structural system:} Two stories, reinforced concrete construction  
^{Site Area:} 1790 square feet (162.33m²)  
^{Construction Area:} 466 square feet (81.00m²)  
^{Total Floor Area:} 872 square feet (137.33m²)  
^{Photographers:} Nissyo Kogyo Design Department  
^Tag(s): Komuten

All Photos Courtesy of Nissyo Kogyo Co. / © Nissyo Design Dept. All rights reserved.