A Shiga house split in two for lake views

This small house in Shiga starts with a simple but telling idea: living alone does not have to mean living narrowly. Designed by FORM / Kouichi Kimura Architects for a single owner, the 71-square-metre home is arranged as two separate volumes on a hill above a lakeside town. A two-storey main building and a single-storey annex are joined by a glazed passage, and that gap is what gives the project its character. From the road, the eye can travel straight through towards the lake, making the landscape feel like part of the plan.

Inside, the architects use framing rather than panorama. Windows are positioned to catch specific scenes, so the house reveals the setting in pieces instead of all at once. The kitchen and dining area sit on the ground floor of the main volume, with the living room and bedroom above. A double-height space ties the levels together, while shifts in floor and ceiling height mark out different zones without closing them off.

The upper room is also intended for listening to music, with the taller volume helping sound move through the space. High windows bring in daylight and changing shadows, while the separate annex keeps the washroom and shower room apart from the main living areas. It is a private home, not somewhere to visit, but it is a thoughtful read if you like houses that do a lot with very little.

Our summary of a story from designboom, published 5 October 2026. Read the original

Photos: designboom · See all 8