Designed to recall a small house that stood here in a country lane in the 1940s, this chemist’s shop has the outline of a simple hut with a double-pitched roof. Today, it forms a deliberate contrast to the neighbouring multistorey housing in the centre of Osaka. The long side faces and the roof are clad with sheet metal, while the street front is transparent. The main load-bearing structure consists of a simple steel-frame system containing a filigree secondary construction of timber posts and rafters. This is complemented by a natural wood floor and composite wood boarding to the walls, which lend the building – with its subtle lighting – an inviting, almost domestic character and a pleasantly warm colour tone.