A zig-zagging metal wall divides this clothes shop by Japanese architects Suppose Design Office, separating outerwear from undergarments.

A recessed skylight on one side of the 52 shop in in Shizuoka, Japan, illuminates a gallery of hanging coats, shirts and trousers.

Small trees are planted in the floor below the skylight.

There are no windows on the other side of the wall, where dangling light bulbs are suspended over undergarments, jerseys and accessories.

A staircase in one corner leads to a first-floor mezzanine overlooking the shop floor.

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Photography is by Toshiyuki Yano.

The following information has been provided by the architects.

We had been requested to design a clothing shop in Shizuoka-shi Japan. In residential projects, we think about the relationship between the internal and external space but for this project, we started to think about the relationship between the products and the two different spaces.

In the west there are many galleries that do not use spots lights but rather uses natural light to light up the space. The reasoning for the use of natural lighting is that as most painting were painted under natural lighting and only when the painting is viewed under the state it was painted the true beauty of the painting will not show.

Could we not think the same for clothes? By creating a room that is like the outside and creating a room that is like inside, the clothes, shoes and accessories can be place in their rightful space.

A 9mm metal sheet wall was placed in a zigzag manner to separate the two different spaces and created big openings.

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In the space light pours in from the skylight would be for outerwear, shoes and other products that would be used outside. The space that is light up with warm artificial lighting would be for inner wear and stationary. Each product had it place and we placed them to the rightful place.

By creating an internal space and external space in a building using only natural light effect, we were able to find a new relationship between outdoor and indoor space.

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Location: Magarikane, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka, Japan
Principal use: Clothier
Construction Company: Mitsuko Terada
Structural Engineer: Ohno Japan
Main Structure : Steel construction, 2 story
Site Area: 460.35 sqm
Roof area: 112.62sqm
Total floor area: 127.333sqm
Completion: March. 2011
Design period: March - October 2010
Construction period: March 2010-November. 2010
Project team: Suppose design office | Makoto Tanijiri, in charge : Masashi Shiino
Photographer: Toshiyuki Yano