In a new residential area in southern Okinawa, there’s a unique concrete house that immediately stands out — it has no windows.

The property is situated between contrasting environments: a busy commercial zone with a noisy highway to the south, and a tightly packed residential area to the north. The owners approached Studio Cochi Architects with a request to design a home that would shield them from the urban noise while still allowing plenty of natural light and fresh air.

The architects responded with a bold idea — designing a house without any windows. But how can such a home remain bright and comfortable? The solution came through the use of internal courtyards and skylights aligned along the north-south axis. The northern courtyard serves as a buffer from the street, connecting the entrance to the living room, while the southern courtyard provides a barrier from the busy commercial area.
This house demonstrates a creative approach to achieving both seclusion and openness to nature, even in the midst of a dense urban setting.

Name: House in Nishizaki / 西崎の家
City: Itoman, Okinawa
Address: n/a
Architect: Studio Cochi Architects
Year: 2023


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