This spectacular building is the work of Japanese firm Eastern Design Office and is a residential and office space project in Takarazuka in the Hyogo prefecture of Japan.

Intended as a design office for a Japanese sneaker brand, as well as the residence of the owner, it was constructed with the twin ideas of being 'underground in the warmth of the earth' and at the opposite end of the spectrum 'to fly like a bird.'

And it's hillside site allows this, so Eastern Design didn't flatten the site but increased it instead; resulting in breathtaking views of the Osaka plain from an elevation of 330 metres.

Photography Koichi Torimura.