Micro Homes: Cell Brick by Yasuhiro Yamashita

When thinking of small living spaces and micro homes, Japan is often a country that jumps to mind. With real estate at a real premium in most of Japan, this type of architecture is really becoming popular in this country. One of the very interesting microhomes to come out lately is Cell Brick by architect Yasuhiro Yamashita (not to be confused with the Judo champion of the same name). Built in Tokyo, this small home is unique in many ways:

One of the truly interesting things about this very small and modern home is the fabrication, which is made up of steel bricks that are interconnected by bolts and also serve as accessible interior storage spaces:

Each box measures 900mm wide × 450mm high × 300mm deep, with appropriate spaces left between some boxes to serve as windows. The exterior is clad with ceramic, which serve to improve the thermal performance and efficiency, reduce ambient noise and is very low maintenance. The interior is another story:

Although small, the home includes a living room, kitchen and bedroom on the main floor. There is an upper floor, a roof deck as well as a small basement. The primary advantage of this building technique is a drastic reduction in the need for furniture, as the steel boxes themselves make excellent storage areas.

Pretty amazing things coming out of Japan's exaggerated real estate prices. By saving money on a much smaller piece of land, a more unique and functional home can be created.