A truncated stone pyramid containing a study stands in one corner of the introverted Takamine-cho House, designed by Tomoaki Uno Architects in Japan's Aichi Prefecture.
Located in a green residential district in Nagoya, the stone and concrete dwelling takes cues from the pyramid of Tenayuca, an Aztec pyramid in the Valley of Mexico.
Takamine-cho House references Aztec pyramids
It was designed by local studio Tomoaki Uno Architects for a client who wanted a home built using traditional dry stone construction methods.
According to the studio's founder, as this form of masonry construction is traditionally only used in Japan "for the foundations of castles, castle foundations, and stone walls", he turned to Aztec architecture for ideas. It features a stone pyramid containing a study
"I felt pretty uneasy and uncomfortable about using this traditional Japanese masonry as part of a building with a different purpose," Tomoaki Uno explained.
"I couldn't get rid of the awkward feeling that I was trashing the tradition, and a lot of time passed without being able to propose," he continued. "It was the pyramids of Tenayuca that brought me out of this impasse."
The home is arranged around a courtyard and water garden
Protruding from one corner of the home, the pyramid sits next to a central courtyard and water garden, around which the rest of the inward-looking concrete home has been arranged.
"The overall plan is to give a feeling of open...