House M: Daylit Japanese Home Preserves Privacy With a Beautiful Louvered Facade

<a href="http://www.ae5partners.com" target="_blank">AE5 Partners</a> have designed an incredible home in Japan that features a front-facing façade entirely <a href="http://inhabitat.com/copper-louvered-provins-police-station-sits-lightly-on-unesco-world-heritage-site/" target="_blank">covered with a louver system</a>. Called House M, the home bends in the center, creating symmetrical halves that extend at a slight angle. AE5 repeats the louver pattern inside, creating a unified design that filters light and is both aesthetically pleasing and functional!

The main façade of the house is based on warehouse architecture (called Kura in Japanese) - a familiar sight in the Japanese town where House M is built.

The dark blue siding envelops the back and roof of the home - it's only broken by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/japan-gets-its-first-passive-house/" target="_blank">geometric cutouts for a window</a>, one skylight and a doorway. The roof was constructed to shed rain and snow to, and the shape of the home (like all Kura) is based on the simple geometry of two squares and two isosceles triangles.

Since the blue siding features only one window to ensure privacy, AE5 counterbalanced the opacity of that façade with the<a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-lovely-villa-taribini-is-the-epitome-of-warm-sustainable-ambience/" target="_blank"> louver façade</a>. Facing an old persimmon tree, the louvers are arranged at alternating angles. They allow sunlight to filter into the 2 stories while keeping the inhabitants’ privacy inside.

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/team-floridas-solar-decathlon-flex-house-harnesses-passive-design-to-keep-its-cool-in-hot-climates/" target="_blank">louvers also cast decorative patterns</a> in the home, which change with the season and time of day. Inside, the louver pattern is repetead on a guard rail on the second floor mezzanine which overlooks the first floor dining area.

The bent shape of the home <a href="http://inhabitat.com/stark-white-house-sl-opens-onto-a-lush-courtyard-with-sliding-translucent-doors/" target="_blank">creates a natural courtyard</a> that is kept private - the sides of the home serve as barriers.

One side of the home features open-plan living areas, while the other side contains the bedrooms. House M's <a href="http://inhabitat.com/0-to-1-completes-gorgeous-geometric-artist-studio-in-finland/" target="_blank">mathematical design</a> successfully harmonizes the project's contrasting facades.