Located on a quiet street in Tokyo, this concrete apartment block by Key Operation is anything but brutal. Equipped with balconies facing both courtyard and road, each apartment is entered via a private staircase. Contrasting the rough exterior, larch plywood formwork has been employed to give texture to the interior spaces.
Though completed in 2010, Yotsuya Tenera (as the building is called) won a RIBA International Award recently. [Dezeen]
Related:The 25 Coolest Japanese Houses
