Upon closer inspection, this seemingly simple three-story concrete home by Japan's Takeshi Hosaka Architects reveals a delightfully expectation-thwarting design. But maybe "reveals" is the wrong word. By placing the floors of the home below levels suggested by the windows, the firm has created a very open dwelling that's still mostly hidden from the street.
The floors of the Byoubugaura house slope upward as they reach the front and rear facades, drastically on the basement level, and a little bit less on each next one, bringing them more in-line with the window height as one goes up. The living spaces are radically open—as with one very transparent Japanese home, the only walled-off interior area is the bathroom—and this sunken design allows it to feel very free, while still preserving some privacy.
The levels of the home are connected by a slim circular staircase, which reveals the layers of concrete and wood separating them. Head to Design Boom for more photos of Takeshi Hosaka's work.
· Takeshi Hosaka Architects bend the concrete floors of Byoubugaura [Design Boom]