A modified multiple bend achromat (MBA) optics as a lattice for low emittance storage rings is presented. The novel feature of this lattice is the use of horizontally defocussing bending magnets with different bending angles to keep the radiation integrals low. It is shown that a storage ring with such a lattice can have a low emittance at a relatively compact size. An application of the MBA structure for a 3 GeV diffraction limited storage ring is presented and discussed.