![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-7.jpg)
Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe
Japanese architect Hiroyuki Miyabe of Speac Inc. has renovated this house covered in ivy by stripping it back to its structural elements.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-1.jpg)
Miyabe removed the ceilings and internal partitions, reinforcing the structure with diagonal braces.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-5.jpg)
The interior has been painted white except for the roof and structural columns on the first floor.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-6.jpg)
The ivy covering the building before the renovation has been trimmed away from the windows but will be allowed to regrow, covering the walls of the house.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-4.jpg)
Here's more from Miyabe:
The Ivy House
This was a deserted house that called a haunted house because of the ivy covering the whole. We renovated it as a dwelling and office.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-8.jpg)
All windows were closed with the ivy and the spaces that partitioned into small pieces were very dark.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-10.jpg)
However, we thought the ivy as the most charming feature and conserve it except for the one in front of the windows.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-11.jpg)
After the partitions and ceilings were removed, we reinforced the structure with the diagonal braces and walls.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-12.jpg)
By this process to make the room looked wider, we arranged the member of the structural reinforcement paying attention to the 3 dimensional perspective and sequence and made the structural material of the roof and floors exposed.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-13.jpg)
And all the things excepting for the wooden structure of the roof and columns of the 2nd floor was painted white.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-2.jpg)
The space of the 1st floor is filled with brightness giving a hint of the texture of old structure.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-3.jpg)
At the 2nd floor we find the preserved wooden structure in contrast with whitened things.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-16.jpg)
Above: before renovation
Now the time that had passed through this house is visualized as a charm. The ivy is growing up today ticking away time.
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/dzn_Ivy-house-by-Hiroyuki-Miyabe-20.gif)
Architect: Hiroyuki Miyabe (SPEAC,inc.)
Location: Toshima-ku Tokyo Japan
Producer: Hiroya Yoshizato (SPEAC,inc.)
![Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe Ivy house by Hiroyuki Miyabe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/08/Drawings.gif)
Architect in Charge: Tomoko Kawai (SPEAC,inc.)
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Takeshi Yamagishi