Steel shell encloses contemporary dairy farmer’s house in Japan

Think ‘dairy farmer’, and words like ‘rustic’ and ‘traditional’ may spring to mind. This particular dairy farmer’s house in Sodegaura, Japan however, defies those cliche notions.

Designed by architect Miki Okuno of the architecture studio Moo-Flat Design, the contemporary and angular abode is almostly entirely clad in sheets of steel. The modern home provides a strong contrast to the old house, a traditional Japanese building that sits adjacent.

Designed for the third generation of a dairy farming family, the contemporary residence is a new extension to the old house. The Fujisawa-based architect made way for the new structure by demolishing an old communal living room, the footprint of which is preserved as a courtyard that joins the new extension with the old house. The new dairy farmer house is clad in sheets of Galvalume, a steel material made with aluminum and zinc.

The kinked one-story house is organized around an open-plan living room and dining room that overlook an outdoor courtyard through glazed openings. Unlike the steel-clad exterior, the home interior features warm-toned hardwoods and white walls. Tall ceilings and abundant natural light impart a sense of spaciousness. The walls surrounding the outdoor courtyard are also clad in wood rather than steel. The house also contains a roomy master bedroom on the far west end and a second bedroom on the east end.