Signals & Stats : Daily Signals
Stepwell House by Yoshiaki Oyaby architects, Japan Stepwell House by Yoshiaki Oyaby architects, Japan
Stepwell House by Yoshiaki Oyaby architects, Japan Stepwell House by Yoshiaki Oyaby architects, Japan
Stepwell House by Yoshiaki Oyaby architects, Japan Stepwell House by Yoshiaki Oyaby architects, Japan

All lit up: Lightwell brightens Osaka house

By Hannah Robinson and Dara Lang 11 : 08 : 2011 Transparency : Openness : Natural Sunlight

Osaka – Local architects Yoshiaki Oyabu have inserted a lightwell into the three-storey Step-well House in a busy neighbourhood of Osaka. The lightwell is designed to help maximise space and provide a natural source of sunlight. The lightwell penetrates floors and ceilings, creating a level of openness and transparency through the use of tempered glass, lined acrylic mirror and corrugated plastic.

The communal spaces – the kitchen, living and dining rooms – sit at an intermediate level on the second floor, with a metre-wide gap from the transparent shaft. This helps to facilitate natural cross-ventilation and a visual connection with activities on the third floor.

As explored in our Leanomics trend report, this is a great example of how designers are pushing towards leaner and more cultural decluttering-orientated design solutions.

Discover More Daily Signals
Great Western Railway revives legend-led travel storytelling

Daily Signals

Great Western Railway revives legend-led travel storytelling

British train company Great Western Railway (GWR) has launched a new chapter of its long-running Famous Five campaign, drawing on myths and legends...
Travel : Marketing : Brand Heritage
Peanut and Tommee Tippee launch global campaign to put ‘matrescence’ in dictionaries

Daily Signals

Peanut and Tommee Tippee launch global campaign to put ‘matrescence’ in dictionaries

Peanut and Tommee Tippee have launched a global campaign to add the term ‘matrescence’ to dictionaries, arguing that the transition into motherhoo...
Health : Motherhood : Matrescence
Stat: British retail faces generational divide

Daily Signals

Stat: British retail faces generational divide

Some 40% of Gen Z in the UK say they have never bought from a bricks-and-mortar store, according to new research from Adobe Express.
Retail : Generations : Statistic
Niod’s anti-facial disrupts beauty’s clean narrative

Daily Signals

Niod’s anti-facial disrupts beauty’s clean narrative

Deciem’s science-led skincare brand Niod has launched a new campaign video subverting the polished conventions of beauty marketing by replacing ser...
Beauty : Advertising : Environment
Singapore moves to regulate blind boxes over gambling risks

Daily Signals

Singapore moves to regulate blind boxes over gambling risks

Singapore is set to become the first market to require blind box products to disclose the probability of obtaining specific items, as authorities a...
Retail : Toys : Blind Boxes
Stat: ‘My employer’ emerges as the most trusted institution

Daily Signals

Stat: ‘My employer’ emerges as the most trusted institution

The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, based on a survey of nearly 34,000 respondents across 28 countries, shows insularity reshaping how people re...
Work : Trust : Employers
The Salvation Army launches world’s first digital thrift store on Roblox

Daily Signals

The Salvation Army launches world’s first digital thrift store on Roblox

The Salvation Army is extending its resale model into gaming with the launch of Thrift Score, translating the charity’s bricks-and-mortar thrift fo...
Fashion : Retail : Digital
Lyma builds an integrated operating system for skincare

Daily Signals

Lyma builds an integrated operating system for skincare

British medtech company Lyma has launched an AI-powered wellness app that extends its skincare proposition into a fully connected digital ecosystem.
Beauty : Wellness : Medtech
Stat: How Chinese and Indian travellers are driving Asia-Pacific outbound travel

Daily Signals

Stat: How Chinese and Indian travellers are driving Asia-Pacific outbound travel

Outbound travel from Asia-Pacific is accelerating, but not all markets are growing at the same pace, according to new research from MMGY.
Travel : Hospitality : Tourism
Nothing turns retail into a community engine in Bengaluru

Daily Signals

Nothing turns retail into a community engine in Bengaluru

Consumer electronics brand Nothing has opened its first Indian retail space in Bengaluru, drawing more than 2,000 people to queue on 14 February 2026.
Retail : Technology : Design
You have 2 free Daily Signals remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN