House Tour: The façade of this two-storey home is created using 6,000 pure glass bricks and it is amazing. See how impressive it looks.

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Leave it to the genius of Japanese architects, like Hiroshi Nakamura, to propose something as bold and adventurous as this – a street-facing façade that’s constructed out of 6,000 glass bricks, for a home situated in Hiroshima, Japan. 

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Hiroshi Nakamura and his team at Studio NAP developed this home for a family that wanted to maintain a visual connection to the liveliness of the street outside their home without sacrificing on their own privacy. 

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The solution was to design an open-plan living area that is raised from the street level on the second floor, and opening onto a private garden surrounded by a glass wall. 

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However, the design team wasn’t satisfied using glass panels to create the wall as it was impossible to create a single sheet of glass that would cover the entire two-storey height of the façade. What they did next was to devise a way to build the wall out of glass bricks. 

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As the glass bricks were too heavy to support itself, the team then had to find a solution to support the wall. They managed to solve the issue by bolting the bricks down with metallic cables. The galss wall allows light to filter through, lighting up the beautiful garden.

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Looking in from the garden, the open concept living room looks inviting and spacious. 

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Stairs lead down to the garage on the ground floor. 

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At the entrance, a skylight with a water feature above creates interesting light patterns on the floor underneath. 

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Above the living room, the bedrooms look out into the garden. 

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Behind the living room lies a wide dining area submerged into the floor. 

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The wall in this area is lined with rich wooden slats to create a rustic effect. 

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Cool marble line the surfaces in the bathroom. 

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In the day, the light filtering through the glass bricks create interesting patterns on the wall.

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The mix of glass and greenery result in an interesting contrast. 

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As evening approaches, the light dims down to a light blue, creating a cool and serene atmosphere in the home.

Photos courtesy of Koji Fujii, Nakasa & Partners.