The wooden framework of this Japanese house by Akasaka Shinichiro Atelier will allow the owners to adapt the lower floor into a photography studio or children's room (+ slideshow).

Architect Shinichiro Akasaka designed the 96-square-metre house in Sapporo for a graphic designer friend who wanted to be involved in planning the layout.
The house, which comprises three timber-clad blocks, is positioned on the side of Mount Moiwa ? a forested mountain overlooking Hokkadio Prefecture's capital city.

The project is named The Barn House to reflect its open-plan layout, which could later be sub-divided to create a child's bedroom or a photography studio, depending on the client's lifestyle choices.
Wooden columns and beams create the framework for future rooms.
"We aimed to build a house like a barn which can become their own home in the future," explained the architect. "The client will continue the renovation in their own way according to the changes in their lifestyle."

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"It was also a project with a lot of uncertain factors in the first stage, such as child's future presence and a possibility that the part of the house may used as a gallery or a mini photography studio."

The primary living space is set on the first floor of the house, freeing up the ground floor to be more flexible in use. The elevated lounge...