Unit 12a is an ongoing research-based architectural “unit”, dedicated to exploring spatial experience, materiality, and representation. The practice engages in projects across multiple scales and disciplines, driven by a process of curation and investigation.

This platform builds upon the act of tracing and reinterpreting architecture, presenting a carefully selected collection of images that offer insight into the origins of our work and the future directions of the practice. We honor the weight of a brick, the story in a tile, and the grain of wood—materials that are invested with memory, craft, and time, shaping places with quiet insistence and enduring presence.

The House in White The House in White, designed by Japanese architect Kazuo Shinohara, was created for a couple passionate about children's reading and the arts, along with their three children. The defining feature of this residence is its pervasive use of white, which extends seamlessly across both the exterior and interior spaces.

Sou Fujimoto has described "white" as a kind of field that envelops human presence, where light, shadow, backdrop, and reflection interact to create an atmosphere that is luminous yet soft.

Structurally, the house follows the principles of a traditional Japanese dwelling, with a central column anchoring the plan. The framework of the main house aligns with the roof's slope, yet the entire structure is unified beneath a white ceiling, subtly obscuring its underlying form. Characterized by loft-like white bedrooms, expansive open spaces, dramatic columns, and soaring ceilings, the House in White embodies a serene and minimalist architectural expression.