Sited along a stretch facing the Pacific Ocean in Chiba, Japan – a two-hour rocky drive from Tokyo – the very unusual House O by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto boasts the unique characteristic of one all-encompassing room within its unique plan. The innovative House O design puts all the home’s main living areas – the foyer, a living area, dining area, kitchen, bedroom, a Japanese-style room, a study and the bathroom – within one continuous room shaped like, you guessed it, an “O.” Additional rooms branch off the circular floor plan, all enclosed by an unusual facade of concrete on one side, and a facade of modern glass on the other. One thing the client asked of the architect was to design a home with the continuous feeling of ocean. Sou Fujimoto did just that by creating a house with panoramic views oriented in different directions and admirable from every angle. An all-around glass kitchen boasts an untouchable quality – an ultra-cool, chic culinary space. “One could say the house is akin to a walking trail along a coast; one could happen by a panoramic view, sometimes feel the ocean at the back or find the ocean through a small gap.” Sou Fujimoto.
