Japanese architect Makoto Tanijiri of Suppose Design Office has recently completed a house clad in a translucent skin, a single family home for a couple and their three children in the city of Hiroshima.

The three-storey building appears to open up to its surroundings, allowing daylight to pour into the interior spaces, while at night it is transformed into a sort of lantern, a beacon in the neighbourhood. The exchange between the public and private, interior and exterior dimensions remains diaphanous, allowing shadows and movement to prevail over what would have otherwise determined a fully transparent surface.

The interior spaces are defined by an extreme simplicity, with steel frames painted white, concrete ceilings and wooden floors. Precisely curated, these elements are simultaneously decorative and structural. In the ground floor, the garage is an open space, featuring the same details as the remaining spaces of the house.

Suppose Design: House in Tousuien
Architects: Suppose Design Office (Makoto Tanijiri)
Team: Makoto Tanijiri (Suppose Design Office), A.S.Associates, Hajime Nagano
Total area: 135,09 square metres
Built area: 69,36 square metres
Total area occupied by the three floors: 208,08 square metres (69,36 + 69,36 + 69,36)
Client: couple with three children