Home Works 棲 SUMIKA Hospitality About Members Process Overseas Contact

Research

Four fields of expertise
for carrying a home forward.

Regulation, materials, and continuity. We present, lab by lab, the research and reflection we have built up so that older buildings can be carried on to the next generation.

Our three labs — regulation, materials, and continuity — build the expertise needed to carry older buildings on to the next generation.

Regulation Lab

Building codes, non-conforming existing structures, management bylaws. We study how to overcome the regulatory hurdles that are unavoidable when carrying an older building forward.

Carrying a pre-1981 residence forward: seismic retrofit as asset protection

Non-conforming existing buildings as an asset — a view from the Regulation Lab

Renovating an older home and building confirmation — the procedures worth knowing

How condominium renovation relates to management bylaws

Material Lab

What makes a material grow more beautiful with time? Solid wood, plaster walls, the patina of age. We explore choosing materials that can be loved across generations.

The craft of plastering — spaces that breathe with lime and diatomaceous earth

The time solid wood keeps — choosing species and designing for graceful aging

On choosing materials that grow more beautiful with age

Inheritance Lab

To inherit a home is to inherit its memories. We record the thinking and practice behind passing a home on across generations.

Carrying the family home forward, a hundred years on

Designing for three generations under one roof — balancing privacy and connection

What to consider first when inheriting your parents’ home

On keeping a family’s memories alive within the home

What is used-condominium renovation? Costs, benefits, and points to watch

About your home, its regulations, its materials.
Please feel free to reach out first.

Contact
棲
Contact Talk to us about your home →