A wooden spine extends beneath the diagonally pitched roof of this diamond-shaped house and artist's studio in Japan (+ slideshow).

Kyoto office Alphaville designed the faceted building in Shiga Prefecture as a workspace for a painter and designer, and as a home for the couple and their young son.

"It is a space where they can spend a whole day with their only son, and will be used to regularly exhibit works as a gallery and to host parties," explained Alphaville.

Corrugated metal cladding covers the angular roof structure and two of the facades, while large windows in the two trapezium-shaped gables provide brightly lit living space and studio areas.

There is also a small triangular skylight at the centre of the folded roof, which gave the property its name, Skyhole.

Inside, the diamond-shaped floor plan is divided into three strips, creating a living area, a studio and bedrooms.

The studio and living room are set against the two glazed walls at the north and south of the building, while the bedroom block is housed in the centre of the plan, behind two opaque panels that form privacy screens.

"The volume was divided into three in the longitudinal direction and a core was placed between the atelier and the residence," said the architects.

"The atelier that requires even quality light and high ceiling was positioned on the north and the residence on the south where the sunlight energy is most efficient."

Poured-concrete floors and bright white walls were added to allow rooms to be used for various activities.

Planting and soft, patterned furnishings dress these otherwise stark spaces, and light bulbs hang on draping white flexes from the exposed wooden ceiling beams.

A narrow passageway cuts through the bedrooms, linking the living area with the studio space and allowing light to reach the core of the building.

A children's room, storage area and shop are located on one side of the passageway, while the master bedroom and the bathroom are located on the other.

The bedrooms open directly into the living room, while the storage area and shop are oriented towards the studio space. The bathroom opens onto the short corridor, providing access from the studio for exhibition visitors.

Photography is by Yohei Sasakura.

Project credits:

Architects: Alphaville
Structural engineer: Takashi Manda (Takashi Manda Structural Design)