Smart living: Building blocks of the future

Tokyo – Japanese architect Yasuhiro Yamashita has created an imaginative solution to the problem of confined urban space. His Cell Brick house in Tokyo is built from steel boxes instead of bricks. On the exterior of the house, the boxes appear to be construction blocks, with spaces in between for windows. But inside, these large hollow boxes also function as storage units.

As urban centres become more densely populated and the cost of city living rises, the need for a smarter use of space will increase. The Cell Brick house joins similar designs, such as Gary Chang’s home, with its system of sliding walls, which aim to solve this problem.