House in a car park by Alts Design Office hides a covered passage behind its walls
A secluded passage extends along one edge of this house in Japan by Alts Design Office, bringing natural light into the interior (+ slideshow).
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
Japanese studio Alts Design Office, whose previous projects include a house filled with pointed doorways and openings, designed the two-storey Kusatsu House for a site beside a car park in Shiga.
The close proximity of neighbouring residences and apartment blocks made it impractical to add glazing on the south-facing facades, so architects Sumiou Mizumoto and Yoshitaka Kuga instead created an open-air passageway along the north-western wall.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
"A house with southern exposure is not good because the client wants to secure the privacy," explained the architects.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
"Therefore, we arranged the exclusive path inside of the house. We gave importance to designing an outside space in the inside space, and produced a diverse and interesting space," they said.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
Flanked by a windowless concrete wall, the passageway is glazed at both ends and has a skylight overhead, allowing daylight to permeate the building throughout the day.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
A traditional Japanese tatami area is located within the space, alongside a small rock garden. Glazed doors open the passage to the open-plan living room, dining area and kitchen, which takes up most of the ground floor.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
"We didn't separate into inside and outside of house simply," said Mizumoto and Kuga. "By doing so, we brought a feeling of strangeness in a good sense."
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
The room features simple furnishings that define the different areas. A wooden dining table offers seating for four people, while a selection of plants sit beside the walls and a low white wall defines the kitchen.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_12.jpg)
Wooden panel flooring runs throughout the interior. Chunky timber surrounds doors and windows, while a steel-framed staircase leads up to the first floor.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
This upper storey is divided up into four rooms. The largest is the master bedroom, which leads out to a balcony positioned above the passageway.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
Two smaller rooms accommodate the family's children, while the fourth space is a bathroom, with a separate WC alongside.
![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
Photography is by Yuta Yamada.
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![Kusatsu House by Alts Design Office](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Kusatsu_House_by_Alts_Design_Office_dezeen_05.gif)