This two-story house in Fukuoka, Japan may look like just a dense hunk of concrete (and it is), but it has a few tricks up its figurative sleeve. No, the interior is as painfully minimalist as one has come to expect from homes composed of monochrome boxes. But the house, designed by Japanese firm Matsuyama Architects and Associates does have cleverly placed windows and interior walls.
Whereas the exterior walls are aligned to a strictly rectangular site, the interior ones are positioned at all sorts of angles to frame specific views (to get a better sense of this concept, head to Design Boom for the plan drawings). The windows themselves are also carefully thought out. Those on the first floor are slanted slits that accompany the lot's 10-foot change in elevation while maintaining some privacy against street traffic. The second floor has large floor-to-ceiling windows that open up to the farther away cityscape. And in a somewhat surprising move, the designers also put in a fireplace at the center of the home—doesn't look too cuddle-friendly, though.
· house in oike by matsuyama architects offers residential privacy [Design Boom]
· 31 Shots of Plain White Boxes Masquerading as Residences [Curbed National]
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