Nao Iwanari Architecture has designed Aquarium in Yamato-Shi, Japan.

This project is an urban dwelling that required multiple layers to be established. In an urban house where stacking floors is a condition, Nao Iwanari Architecture created a spacious living place that does not feel cramped by reproducing the environment like underwater in an aquarium.

"When you put yourself inside the actual building, it looks like [it's] underwater," said Nao Iwanari Architecture.

Spaces in each layer with different properties are connected without breaks, reaching a semi-external space surrounded by walls on all four sides where only the upper part is open, mirroring the effects of a surface of water looking up.

In urban housing, architects have gained freedom and comfort by breaking away from blockages – an innovative solution for the problems involved in modern architecture.

This project has been longlisted in the urban house category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Designer: Nao Iwanari Architecture

Project: Aquarium