In Osaka’s dense urban landscape, Okuwada Architects has created House in Abeno, a two-story wooden residence that transforms spatial limitation into architectural clarity. Built on a narrow 45.2-square-meter plot only 2.73 meters wide, the home distinguishes itself through a striking façade, a grid of operable, full-height windows framed in aluminum.
Rather than shielding the interior from its surroundings, the architects embraced openness. The façade’s stacked, modular design captures changing light and reflections from neighboring houses, the arcade across the street, and the ever-active city beyond. Each window can be individually opened, enabling residents to tune airflow, light, and privacy while staying connected to the atmosphere of the shopping arcade beside it.
Inside, the second-floor living room unfolds behind a full wall of glass, immersing occupants in Osaka’s ambient urban rhythm, from shopkeepers’ calls to distant music drifting through the arcade. This façade acts not only as a visual interface but also as a sensory filter, weaving everyday city life into domestic experience.
Two diagonal load-bearing walls stabilize the structure, allowing the southern façade to remain entirely glazed without bracing. Through this inventive use of transparency and rhythm, Okuwada Architects turns a narrow plot into an expressive, light-filled dwelling that celebrates the dialogue between architecture and city. 
Source: designboom.com with additional information added by Glass Balkan
