Cocage: Japanese Stepped Mountain Home Incorporates Light, Wind, Water & Shadows

Cocage is a two-story home and showroom in Kochi, Japan that incorporates outdoor elements like light, wind, water, and shadow directly into its design. The H-shaped home is like a terraced mountain covered in louvers to filter light inside, and a body of water next to the lot injects a natural environment into the urban space and helps keep it cool. The bold triangular form, designed by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/kodaira-shi-is-a-toyko-residence-covered-in-a-tent-to-create-a-private-shaded-garden/">Suppose Design Office</a>, creates a striking 2 bedroom home where the sun and wind dance to create a playful and efficient abode.

The simple layout is achieved with an H-shaped floorplan.

On the ground floor, there is a bathroom, laundry, storage, 2 bedrooms, the kitchen, a traditional tatami room all joined together by the open living area.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/new-green-roofed-school-in-copenhagen-literally-stands-in-the-harbor/"&gt;Terraces</a> on either side of the living area provide connections to the outside and encourage cross ventilation.

Upstairs, the large open loft like space serves as a showroom, but in a normal house, this space could be a playroom, second living area or office.

Each room enjoys a high level or privacy and space.

Lots of windows allow for plenty of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/natural-daylighting">natural daylighting</a>.

while <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/louvers">Louvers</a> on the exterior of the house shade the interior from too much solar gain and cast stripped shadows onto the floor.

Upstairs inverted louvers in the studio act as shelves and a decorative design element.

Cross ventilation across the space helps keep the home cool and the man-made pool of water next to one of the terraces to help cool down the microclimate through evapotranspiration.