An exposed concrete frame supports this 4.2-metre-wide skinny house in Melbourne designed by Oliver du Puy Architects to feature meditation spaces.
Aptly named Skinny House, the project carves out a quiet, contemplative space on the site of a neglected yard of a 19th-century shop.

Oliver du Puy Architects, which is based in Melbourne, built it as a home for a London-based client who is a keen meditator who frequently travels to and from Australia.
A key reference for the project was the early domestic work of Japanese architect Tadao Ando, which often turns inwards and uses courtyards to deal with chaotic, compact urban sites.

This was combined with the Japanese concept of "Shinrin-Yoku", or forest bathing, which promotes the health benefits of being immersed in nature. "The minimalist structure is animated by large apertures and voids which frame a series of vistas out of the building that become part of the landscape of the interior," explained the architecture studio.

Sections of the home are arranged to the level of privacy increases vertically, with office spaces at ground level, living spaces at first floor level and bedrooms on the second floor, each stepping back slightly from the front facade.
"Spaces are structured like a haiku poem, into a suite of intimate moments increasing in privacy as one ascends the building," said the studio.

These floors are arranged to provide a direct aspect from the northern to the southern end of the ...