On the garden face, the house opens on to its surroundings, affording a view over the low-rise housing developments in the immediate neighbourhood to the tall urban blocks of Kobe in the distance. Within the house, however, there are also areas for withdrawal. These include the bedrooms, which can be divided off with sliding doors, the tatami room, and the studio at the top of the house.
In addition to the spatial aspects, other factors that influenced the design include the orientation and the position of the sun, wind directions, and the provision of cross-ventilation to minimize heat gains in the spaces with broad areas of glazing. The outer skin consists of galvanized steel sheeting, which is painted in a reddish-brown colour. Internally, the pale wood surfaces of the inbuilt furniture, the doors and floors dominate, a feature that also extends to the terrace areas.
The clear, functional detailing of the finishings can be found in the tatami room and the courtyard as well. Both these spaces reveal a strict, modern variation on traditional Japanese design. Uniform pavings, consisting of mortar-bonded gravel, in the entrance and to the open areas on the upper floors create flowing transitions between indoors and outdoors. A contrasting note is provided by the coloured painted doors.
