Monolithic black house conceals internal courtyard containing a single tree www.dezeen.com

Apollo Architects and Associates has designed Umber, a house in Tokyo clad in black aluminium-zinc alloy coated steel with a hidden courtyard.
The rooms are arranged in a C-shaped plan around a timber decked courtyard that is open to the sky.
This internal terrace, which both the bedrooms and the dining room open out on to, is planted with a single tree.
A tatami mat room is to one side of the entrance and can be used as a guest room or a secondary living room.
Previous projects in Tokyo include an earthquake-resistant house made of concrete, and another steel-clad house that hides an open-air living room.