ABOUT

1. Designing Space

The name raumus combines two German words: Raum (space) and Muster (design). To design space — that is where our practice begins.

Space is something we are surrounded by every day, often without noticing. Yet the spaces we inhabit shape us — quietly, continuously. A well-designed space can lift the spirit and enrich daily life in ways we never quite name. We believe that designing space with care can make everyday life itself richer.

2. Weaving Past and Future, and Connection to Place

A building is more than a structure. It carries the lives, histories,
cultures, and techniques that have accumulated over time, and passes
them on to the future. To renew an old building is to inherit the
memory of the place where it stands. By weaving together the memories
of place, building, and people, we believe we can design spaces that
lead to a freer, more vital everyday life.

3. Designing the Process of Making Space

Architectural projects are long and complex, spanning many disciplines. A single decision can shape an entire project.

At raumus, we treat this complexity itself as something to be designed. Aligning understanding among clients, consultants, and contractors — designing the communication of the process — is, we believe, essential to creating good space.

1. Comfort Felt with All the Senses

A comfortable space is held up by things we cannot see. Following Swiss and German standards, we design for high thermal performance and airtightness, ensuring comfort that can be measured in numbers.

But comfort is also shaped by what we touch and see — the grain of wood, the texture of plaster, the way light meets a surface. Alongside performance, we consider each material with care, so that comfort can be felt with all the senses.

2. Inheriting and Renewing Memory

To inherit memory begins with reading the building. Renovating an existing building follows a different path from new construction. We start by examining how the building was made, where its value lies, and where its challenges are: structure, regulatory status, signs of wear, and the qualities worth preserving. Reading these carefully is where renewal begins.

From this foundation, we decide what to keep and what to renew, then reshape the space for contemporary life. The structure, once understood, is reinforced to meet current safety standards. We respect the beauty that accumulates over time in Japanese architecture, and bring new life to it with today’s techniques and sensibility — turning it into something to be passed on to the next generation.

Materials, too, inherit time. We make use of existing doors, beams, and other elements wherever possible. For new materials, we choose those that deepen with age rather than those that look their best when new. Patina, for us, is not deterioration — it is how a space 　 accumulates memory.

3. The “Free, New Everyday” Born of Dialogue

To design that complex process, what we value above all is dialogue with the client. What we make is not a “container” called a building, but the free, new everyday lived within it.

Architectural projects are intricate, with many specialists involved. That is why we engage from the earliest stages — including the search for land or an existing property — so we can see the project as a whole. We use 3D BIM models to make issues visible, simulate daylight and thermal conditions, and share understanding with clients and collaborators as we proceed.

From finding the site, to designing furniture, to the way light falls through a window — through continuous dialogue, we give form to each client’s way of life.

raumus is a coined word from the German words Raum (space) and Muster (design).
The design firm is organized by Takeda, who worked for design firms in Japan, Germany, and Switzerland before setting up his own firm.

Based in Fukuoka, We design various aspects of space, from finding land and property to planning, design, furniture production, and the process of creating space, and proposes free, new, and future forms of space.

• Planning, design and construction supervision of buildings and interiors.
• Planning, design and construction supervision of second-hand property renovations.
• Furniture, product and graphic design
• Research, appraisal and consultation on the utilisation of underutilised real estate (land and buildings).
• Other work incidental to the above.