Metal curtains can be drawn across the windows of this three-and-a-half-metre-wide house in Osaka by FujiwaraMuro Architects, which features a split-level layout with multiple staircases.

The local architects were commissioned to design a skinny house to replace a demolished building in the commercial centre of Honshu, which is known for its modern architecture.
The tightly packed site and its urban setting called for a design that could provide plenty of natural light, without compromising the homeowner's privacy.

FujiwaraMuro Architects' response was to create a slender three-storey house, with full-height windows set back from a stainless-steel chain curtain that lets in light while maintaining privacy.
"While people tend to associate stainless-steel curtains with the hardness of metal, when used on a building-sized scale, they flutter in the wind and convey a surprisingly soft impression," said the architects.
"It can be closed to gently deflect prying eyes, or opened to provide a feeling of expansiveness, and at night turns into a glittering veil illuminated by the interior lighting," they added.
While the metal curtain provides plenty of natural light for the interiors of House in Minami-tanabe, the lack of a view meant the architects had to add interest to the interiors in other ways.

"The nature of the site is ill-suited to gazing at exterior views, so we approached the interior as a landscape of its own," the architects expl...