the existing surrounding environment to examine its mutual relationship with architecture, and develops a kind of open communication with the House, its occupant, and its town. Gae House 2001-2003 The unconventional “Gae House”, set in Setagaya Tokyo, is amongst homes that line up like hedgerows that attest to the division of properties from land inheritance and the remnants of garden fences that once surrounded the whole block. Gae House embraces the intent of the surrounding homes with the use of the largest possible roof formed according to sun and site restrictions, while the walls are set back from the boundaries. The resulting gap between these elements integrates the surrounding environment with the house. "This misalignment not only provides a roof to the parking space but introduces the hedge sequence to the boundaries with the neighbours, embodying the environment's intention expressed in the presence of live fences." The house is organised with the bedroom and workplace placed underground, the living room and kitchen placed under the roof while entrance is on the second floor. The second floor with a horizontal opening, and stark white walls allows light to enter, creating images of and emulating the outside environment. This horizontal 'ribbon' window now becomes a formalized device for engagement of light inside and outside of the house, as well as creating a visual connection to be made with the exterior and allowing ample natural lighting to come into the attic area. This sense of envelopment is termed 'granular space'. The inseparable character of the house from its mode of existence upon its site becomes an "organic architectural experience"; architecture that explores the relationships between the inhabitant, immediate surroundings and wider urban context. Mini House Mini House is located in Nerima-ku, Tokyo, a dense residential suburb, on a small site of 77sqm. The house covers only 41sqm of the site but has a total floor area of 90sqm over two and a half floors. The design draws on Atelier Bow-Wow's theories of Void Metabolism and The Fourth-Generation House which puts an emphasis on the form and nature of the spaces between buildings as well as their internal qualities. Atelier Bow-Wow sees the Fourth-Generation House as being the product of three important conditions. “…that the interior space be inviting for those who are not members of the family; that quasi-exterior spaces be introduced in a positive manner, coaxing inhabitants out of their homes; and