Fluid spaces and concrete patterns define a house in Shiga

Formwork and spacer marks are the only signs that “decorate” the reinforced concrete of the massive, bare facades of Tranquil House, designed by FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects in Shiga, Japan. The residence seems to be impermeable to the suburban context, defined by high-traffic roads and industrial sheds. The concrete mass is dotted with very few windows and opens only to the north, where it can meet a free and wide view.

The entrance to the house is symmetrical and monumental, featuring a large wooden portal and light falling from above. This leads directly to the living area, which has open and fluid spaces, defined by changes in level, different heights and the entrance of natural light. In the side wings of the house there are instead rationally distributed bedrooms and bathrooms.

The outdoor terrace is conceived as an extension of the domestic space and separated from the living room by almost invisible glass walls. The connection between closed and open spaces is also given by the continuity of the materials: the external concrete continues also inside the house, while the black tile flooring of the living room extends to the outside. The architects say: "We conceived the Tranquil House as a sequence of spaces, which are unrolled along an axis, generating comfortable tranquility and giving exquisite aesthetics to daily life."