Fukasawa Symbiotic Housing Complex - A Model Social Housing Project, Tokyo, Japan Rebuilding for a Sustainable Future

This rebuilding of a social housing complex in Tokyo was carried out as the first model practice of Japan's national policy drive entitled “Environmentally Symbiotic Housing”. Inaugurated in 1990, this policy was designed to cope with a range of environmental issues including global warming. As well as including various measures of environmentally conscious design, the project design team made efforts to focus on discovering the local context, including the lifestyle of the residents and the socio-cultural aspects of the local community. There has been sustained involvement of the residents in all stages of the design, construction and on-going management and maintenance of their homes.