‘Outside In House,’ Japan by Takeshi Hosaka Architects

Takeshi Hosaka architects has built this single-storey private dwelling in Yamanashi, Japan for a couple and their three children.
The house creates a subtle gradation from outdoors to indoors, integrating the presence of nature into the living space. The south facade features a collapsible transparent surface that can be completely opened to the woods beyond. Interspersedly planted with small trees and shrubs, the partially-sheltered garden space projects natural characteristics of the site into the compounds of the private dwelling.

Although the building has no other windows, natural light enters through skylights atop each of the gables. The reinforced concrete beams funnel natural sunlight into the interior, shifting the atmosphere of the house throughout the day.

Conceived as a series of layers that gradually add more indoor elements, the rectangular layout places the private programs such as the bathroom and bedrooms to the north and communal spaces to the south.




Takeshi Hosaka Architects