Analyzing Floor Plans with AI! Regional Characteristics of Newly Built Detached Houses

At Home Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ota-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yasufumi Tsurumori; hereinafter "At Home") announces the survey results titled "Analyzing Floor Plans with AI! Regional Characteristics of Newly Built Detached Houses."

This survey incorporates, in addition to conventional property data analysis, the results of AI-based analysis of approximately 4,000 floor plan diagrams using At Home Lab Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yoshitaka Otake; hereinafter "At Home Lab")'s patented floor plan feature extraction AI model. The findings summarize trends in floor plans of newly built detached homes across Tokyo's 23 wards, Hokkaido, and Fukuoka Prefecture, taking into account each region's climate and lifestyle habits.

[Expert Commentary] Junko Imae, Executive Officer and Head of Data Marketing Department, At Home Lab Co., Ltd.

Regional Housing Patterns Revealed by AI Floor Plan Analysis

Floor plans reflect regional lifestyles. In this report, we used At Home Lab's floor plan feature extraction AI model to visualize the characteristics of newly built detached homes.

In Tokyo's 23 wards, constrained by rising land prices and limited plot sizes, three-story homes with living rooms located on the second or third floor are predominant. In contrast, in cold-climate Hokkaido, floor plans are designed with heating efficiency in mind—such as avoiding windows in wet areas and omitting balconies. In Fukuoka Prefecture, many homes are single-story or include traditional Japanese rooms, taking advantage of larger land plots—highlighting the diverse housing characteristics across Japan's north-south span.

<Features by Number of Stories>

Three-story homes dominate in Tokyo's 23 wards; single-story homes are on the rise in Hokkaido and Fukuoka Prefecture.

Looking at the distribution of homes by number of stories across the three regions, three-story homes account for 54.0% in Tokyo's 23 wards, making them the most common. While land plots in Tokyo's 23 wards are smaller compared to the other two regions, there is little difference in building floor area. This suggests that three-story construction is adopted to maximize living space.

Meanwhile, two-story homes are predominant in both Hokkaido and Fukuoka Prefecture, but the proportion of single-story homes is increasing. Single-story homes are generally more common in Kyushu, and in Fukuoka Prefecture they are particularly prevalent in suburban areas, accounting for 8.9% overall. This trend may be attributed to the relative ease of securing larger plots, the safety and comfort of low-rise homes in preparation for natural disasters such as typhoons, and growing demand for single-floor homes without stairs due to an aging population.

<Floor Plan Orientation>

Living rooms face south in all three regions, but in Tokyo's 23 wards, about 30% face north.

Analyzing the orientation of living rooms from the central point of each floor based on directional data in floor plans, south-facing (including southeast and southwest) living rooms were most common across all regions. However, there were regional differences: in Hokkaido and Fukuoka Prefecture, south-facing living rooms accounted for over 60%, while in Tokyo's 23 wards, the figure was 43.7%, below half, and north-facing (including northeast and northwest) living rooms accounted for about 30%. This is likely due to densely subdivided plots in Tokyo, where homes are packed closely together, making it difficult to position living rooms on the south side.

Floor Plan Characteristics by Region

[Tokyo's 23 Wards]

*WIC = Walk-in Closet

<Expert Commentary> Three-story floor plans adapted to limited land and high housing density

In Tokyo's 23 wards, homes are densely packed and residential land is limited, compounded by high land prices. As a result, three-story homes that extend vertically are the norm.

In three-story homes, the first floor often houses parking spaces and wet areas such as washrooms and bathrooms, while living rooms are rarely placed on the ground floor. In urban areas, where plots are narrow and neighboring houses are close, living rooms are commonly located on the second floor to ensure better natural light and ventilation. Placing the living room on the second floor also allows for larger living and kitchen areas within a limited footprint. Individual rooms tend to be smaller compared to other regions, and service rooms (storage rooms) are often used as studies or home offices.

[Hokkaido]

*WIC = Walk-in Closet; SIC = Shoe-in Closet

*Airlock vestibule: A glass-enclosed space installed before the main entrance to prevent cold air intrusion and maintain indoor temperature. Also known as an entrance hood.

<Expert Commentary> Floor plans emphasizing heating efficiency, adapted to cold climates

In Hokkaido, living rooms are typically located on the first floor, with stairs placed inside the living room. Additionally, compared to other regions, it is common to find no windows in wet areas such as toilets and bathrooms, and many homes do not have balconies. Given that Hokkaido homes are often built with high insulation and airtightness to maximize heating efficiency, these features help minimize temperature differences throughout the house. Furthermore, only about half of homes have multiple toilets—fewer than in other regions. Another characteristic of Hokkaido's detached homes is the inclusion of airlock vestibules at entrances to reduce exposure to outside air.

[Fukuoka Prefecture]

*WIC = Walk-in Closet; SIC = Shoe-in Closet

<Expert Commentary> Diverse single-story floor plans making the most of available land

In Fukuoka Prefecture, single-story homes are common, especially in suburban areas. These homes frequently include tatami-mat rooms, and it is typical to have a Japanese-style room adjacent to the living room. Single-story homes are easy to navigate for elderly residents with mobility issues due to the absence of stairs, and Japanese-style rooms are also valued as flexible spaces—for example, as nap areas for children—making them popular across generations. Since all rooms are located on one floor, floor plans vary widely based on plot conditions, including designs where rooms connect via the living room or where private rooms are placed on either side of a corridor.

<Target Areas, Data, and Definitions>

◆ Target Areas

Tokyo's 23 wards, Hokkaido, Fukuoka Prefecture

◆ Target Data

Newly built detached homes listed and published for consumers on the real estate information website At Home between January and December 2025

(Ownership rights only; duplicate properties have been deduplicated)

◆ Definitions in AI Floor Plan Analysis

This report uses an AI model developed independently by At Home Lab to analyze floor plan diagrams.

*For each specified number of stories in each region, the bottom and top 25% of land area are excluded from analysis

*Analysis is limited to interior floor plans (site layout diagrams are excluded)

<Introducing the "Floor Plan Feature Extraction AI Model">

At Home Lab offers an AI model that reads and verbalizes features from floor plans—the "Floor Plan Feature Extraction AI Model." This service uses AI to analyze floor plan images, identifying components such as room layout, living room, individual rooms, kitchen, wet areas, storage, spatial relationships, and connections, and outputs over 60 property features as tags. By leveraging this AI model, missing property information can be supplemented, and visualizing floor plan features broadens the scope for property promotion.

This program was developed by our company, and the extracted features incorporate the following patented technologies: 1 Technology for accurately recognizing and analyzing the direction of doors and windows within floor plans 2 Technology for detecting the relative positions (above/below, left/right) between areas

[Patent Overview] ■ Registration Date: April 5, 2024 ■ Patent Number: Patent No. 7466940 ■ Title of Invention: "Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Information Processing Program for Processing Floor Plan Images"

◆ For more details, please download the PDF from the URL below.

https://www.athome.co.jp/corporat/news/data/questionnaire/madorizukaiseki-202606/