The Naked House by architect Shigeru Ban is located in Kawagoe, Japan. It was designed for a family of five, including two children and the owner’s elderly mother. The owner wanted a house that was as open as possible to foster an atmosphere of closeness among family members. The only permanent partitions enclose the bathroom suite. Nylon curtains and sliding doors divide the main space from rooms located around the exterior of the house. Four large wood boxes on casters serve as bedrooms. The boxes are open on two sides, and can be these moved throughout the main interior open space and even outside through the western wall.
The temperate climate allows for the building to be opened up for much of the year. The north and south facades are made from translucent double layered envelopes. These walls allow much diffused light to pass through them. There are a number of small, clear windows that allow for views of the outdoors, and open for ventilation. The west wall has a large, clear set of doors that open onto the terrace. The east wall is where the bathroom and service areas are located, and it is not as permeable to light as the other walls.
The structure of the house is made of double-stud wood. Between the wood studs are metal braces which further reinforce the walls. The thirty centimeter thick walls support the arc roof trusses. The movable rooms are made of brown paper-honeycomb panels which are attached to wooden frames on wheels. Each box has an area of six square meters. These mobile rooms are meant to hold only a minimum of belongings. They can be placed against walls or in front of heating or air conditioning units, to change how air flows through them. They can also be combined to create a larger room.