There are huge rectangular holes in the walls and floors of this Tokyo house by Japanese studio Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects.

Wooden ladders connect each of the four split-level storeys and a staircase with built-in storage leads up from the ground floor studio to the dining room and kitchen on the staggered floor above.

One ladder travels up from the dining room to the living room, which then steps down to the bedroom through the wide hole in the wall.

Another ladder connects the living room with the skeletal top level, where four holes in the floor give the room a cross-shaped layout.

A small study area is sunken into one of these holes and residents use the floor above it as a desk.