Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects titled this solution ‘nowhere’ for a reason – the occupant could seemingly be in any time or place, detached from yet connected to their surroundings in a unique and visceral way.

One problem with living in a place with a beautiful ocean and mountain view is that other people are cramming to see the same things you are – neighboring homes and other vacationers crowd the coastline in this much-desired spot along the Japanese waterline.

The clever solution in this case was a series of tubes – or rather: long narrow rooms that all point out toward the open water. Most of these are capped by full wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling panes of glass, creating a jarring sense of proximity to the outdoors.

Simultaneously, a sense of privacy is achieved with respect to people walking along the shore diagonally across the way (or traversing the side street that wraps behind the residence).

Punched openings still provide ways to travel sideways between spaces, but each room retains the feel of being directed out toward (and over) the water to views of the ocean and Mount Fiji beyond.

This contemporary concrete house is neither about the interior nor the exterior design – it is about the spatial experience shaped at the intersection of the two. The success of the project rests in part, too, on the impressive ability of the architects to plan around a triangular lot that could at best be viewed as a serious design challenge.

The facade, while interesting, is not itself the focus – it is merely a by-product of the designers maximizing a variety of experiences to be had within the house.