What Do You Get When You Cross Traditional Japanese Architecture with American Materials?

Johnston Marklee’s Canal House sits on one of Kyoto’s centuries-old cherry-tree-lined canals. Completed in 2021, it embodies the fluid convergence of American and Japanese architectural traditions: where neighboring homes are made with a reverence for wood, the Canal House is built from concrete. Single Yoshino-style windows float below its terraced eaves like moons, each tier buttressed by concrete struts instead of traditional bamboo ones.

Inside, the house revels in itself: each level looks onto a glass-enclosed inner courtyard studded with mossy rocks, while cantilever staircases offer a glimpse at above from below. The house’s street level holds both a two-car garage and a Sukiya-style, wood-panelled tea room.