Located in a low-rising residential neighborhood in Japan's Shiga prefecture, House for a Photographer was conceived by architect Kouichi Kimura of local studio FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects as a live-in studio of ascetic minimalism and traditional Japanese functionality that cleverly combines the need for abundant daylight with that of privacy.

The exterior, a stacked-box formation of corrugated steel and grey mortar, is solemnly juxtaposed among the pitched-roofed, timber-clad neighboring houses and the Shinto aesthetic of the village shrine on the opposite side of the road. Although its cubic geometry sets the building apart and the light-reflecting galvanized steel cladding enhances its mass, its modest proportions do not make the structure feel out of place.