An Analysis on Formal Typology of Metropolitan Contemporary Housing of Tokyo (by Emphasis on 50 Residential Houses in the City of Tokyo)

ABSTRACT: Tokyo Metropolis, with some exclusive features such as the experience of land readjustment, high level of technology, great economical centralization, and high density of information, presents a type of complicated, crowded, and instable architecture and city planning. Such a status is a problem for determining the architectural typology and makes it practically hard for introducing the contemporary architecture and the viewpoints concerning it. Understanding the formal types in architecture, makes it possible to gain theoretical and practical ideas and plans for city growth and promotion. The hypothesis of this article declares that among the space and visual instability and the wide variety of architectural forms, there is a special tendency in residential architectural forms in Tokyo that could be studied. To prove the hypothesis, the article’s research methodology starts with determining and understanding the uniqueness of Tokyo and influential factors in the city’s formal state. Then, 50 samples of urban single-unit residential houses are chosen by random selection from the “archdaily” website. Statistical analysis expresses the specific tendencies in formal types of the samples, as the hypothesis states. Results declare the tendencies as: narrow and elongated forms, introverted with surrounded and internal yards and balconies, some facades without decoration and mostly white or grey with low area of glass, white internal space. Understanding formal typologies and tendencies in Tokyo’s contemporary architecture as a developed city has useful trainings for developing cities and countries like Iran to have better decisions in architectural and urban design in the future.