Project Description
Views and openness are the defining features of this light-filled house. The initial impression is of a strict, high-modern aesthetic, but a more careful inspection reveals distortion of perspective, folded surfaces, and obliquity. The structure is a series of volumes that fan outward; walls bend to project the spaces away from the center of the house, enhancing the views and the flow of the light.
Exterior walls of glass, coupled with doors that disappear into pockets, create a seamless indoor/outdoor interaction. Inside, there are few walls. The flowing spaces were sculpted to control the natural light, which is harsh and direct in some places but, in the heart of the house, filters in softly through a north-facing skylight.
Strategically placed windows frame the views, proportion the walls, and hide neighboring houses. From the curving galley kitchen, carefully controlled sight lines extend through the breakfast room to the garden beyond – a view that expands when the doors at the end are retracted into the wall.
Windows take on particular drama in the bedrooms, each of which has one glass wall. Privacy is maintained by cantilevered wing walls that extend over the garden and direct the views away from neighboring homes, while a metal-clad roof overhang provides shade.