Posted on 1/22/2025
Nestled among towering apartment buildings in downtown Hiroshima, Japan, this seemingly modest three-storey family house by Tokyo-based architectural practice Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP is a remarkable achievement: it offers its occupants a serene, secluded oasis amid the city's hustle and bustle, despite being situated on a busy thoroughfare.
To make this happen, the architects designed an “optical glass façade”, behind which they created a lush verdant courtyard, complete with trees, shrubbery, and a reflecting pool. Made from 6,000 pure-glass blocks, the optical wall is as much a captivating design statement as it is an engineering feat, filtering natural light in, keeping sounds out, and transforming the p...