Perched on a steep slope in a coastal prefecture of Japan, Torus House designed by Noriaki Hanaoka Architecture disobeys its surrounding topology.

Built under severe conditions, the resulting structure employs a floating one-room living space and a lower part as an intermediate space. Floor-to-ceiling glazing wraps the entire structure allowing for a clear visual connection to the exterior scenery. The project looked to address 3 client requirements: a single-story house with bright and open work out space, a concrete structure, and a good view.

The interior reveals itself around a three-meter square hole running through the center of the massive slabs. Thanks to the hole, ample daylight, and ventilation flood the space, further lending to its bright, breezy atmosphere. The hole is exposed to the elements welcoming the wind, rain, and direct sunlight to traverse the structure and reach the ground. The entire building "breathes together with its environment."

"As opposed to the normative conditions that place ‘man’ or ‘machine’ at the core of architecture, we place a
hole that permeates ‘the nature’ at the center of architecture," — Noriaki Hanaoka