![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects-14.jpg)
Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects
Here's a house in Osaka, Japan, by Yoshihara McKee Architects of New York and Tokyo.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_1.jpg)
Called Minamikawa House, the residence has a sloping lawn that rises from street level to meet the living areas, which are suspended over walkways beneath either side of the house.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_3.jpg)
Rooms on the lower floor are organised in wooden, glass and concrete volumes, while the upper floor that contains bedrooms and bathrooms is more enclosed.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_4.jpg)
"The site is relatively bigger than many of the Japanese projects featured recently, and it afforded us the opportunity to play with landscape, changes in level, and a generally more intricate series of design moves," says Marcello Pacheco of Yoshihara McKee Architects.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_5.jpg)
See also: Posen Loft by Yoshihara McKee Architects
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_6.jpg)
More Japanese houses on Dezeen »
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_8.jpg)
Here are some more details from the architects:
Although designed to harmonize comfortably with the other residences in this typical suburban landscape, the Minamigawa house is a departure from traditional Japanese home design.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_9.jpg)
Unlike its neighbors each of which presents a bland façade to the street with a formally defined house and garden hidden behind it this home merges indoor and outdoor spaces into a unified whole.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_10.jpg)
The garden climbs up from street level, penetrating the built form and pulling the eye beyond the structure's surface to a planted terrace overlooking the street.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_11.jpg)
At the top of the incline, the primary living spaces within the open concrete and glass frame take advantage of the views to the garden and an adjacent park, while wood-clad boxes offer domestic warmth and privacy.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_12.jpg)
Flowing back and forth between house and garden, the design blurs the distinction between what is "inside" and what is "outside."
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_7.jpg)
The third floor, with more enclosed rooms well above eye and street level, offers added privacy.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_13.jpg)
Throughout, a palette of simple building materials enhances the unconventional design, while the balanced scale of all the elements contributes a quiet informality.
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_section.gif)
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_PLAN-1st_floor.gif)
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yoshihara-McKee-Architects_PLAN-2nd_floor.gif)
![Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects Minamikawa House by Yoshihara McKee Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/03/dzn_Minamikawa-House-by-Yos.gif)
See also:
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