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Design Challenge

The logistical challenge was to create a relatively small home that serves as the primary residence of a large family.

Design Solution

The house is conceived as a solid, masonry volume: "the foundation of the family", perched on the edge of a ravine. The "foundation" volume, though it is solid, is softened by the basket-weave pattern of the masonry block façade — a relatively inexpensive, industrial material is reinterpreted in a playful and unique way. Responding to the client's desire for privacy, upon approach the house appears solid. However, the interior of the home is light and airy due to a large window wall facing the tree tops of the ravine below. While the house is built of simple, industrial materials to manage costs, a moment of indulgence is created with the bathtub that hovers over a two-storey space and also faces the ravine. Last, because the house is quite small for a large family, an exterior, screened-in living/dining area was designed for the flat roof, with the steel stair linking the interior living area and exterior living area.