I was inspired to look into Japanese minimalism this week after hearing Shohei Shigematsu of OMA speak a couple of days ago about some aspects of why Japanese architects design the way they do. We won't go into these circumstances here today but we will have a look at a great project in Japan built back in 2008 by Takao Shiotsuka Atelier.

Garden and Sea House was designed around the goal to view as much of its surrounding sea as possible. Shiotsuka implemented previously proven elements to maximize the experience such as expansive windows, transparency and translucency, edited materiality and of course, minimal color. The repetitive use of these elements used in intentionally large scale supports the entire experience.

Although there are certain zones where one might prefer just a bit more privacy, Garden and Sea house somehow exudes beautiful sense of calmness, wouldn't you say?