Reduced to the archetypal function of a dwelling, Shigeru Ban’s Naked House is a pure enclosing skin. It is his tenth study in building and materials, an architectural experiment set in the countryside, surrounded by paddy fields, and in close proximity to a number of dilapidated huts and isolated greenhouses. Not unlike these structures, the elongated volume of this simple, functional building encloses a single, two-­storey-high space. Only the bathroom is divided off. The kitchen, utilities and storage areas are articulated by curtains. Flexible containers on rollers fulfil the function of individual spaces, within which the occupants have their sleeping quarters and zones for withdrawal.