Floor Plan: The original 2012 home (shown in gray) with the 2022 Mourning Dovecote addition (shown in white).

This project embraces an economy of means, but argues that within this economy, there is still enormous potential to customize the relationship of a home to its site –one of the prime determinates of sustainable choices for building orientation, thermal heat gain and loss, and passive cooling strategies.

The shape of the house begins to physically shift with the push and pull of the surrounding environment. The simple box folds in two to embrace the open, one-acre site. Walls skew under the rectangular roof to focus on near and distant views. This geometric shift then creates the tapering roof overhangs that strategically protect the private spaces from the harshest rays of the summer sun.

In the end, the design keeps the benefits of a simple plan with streamlined construction, and the economical and sustainable use of materials. With just a few subtle shifts in the plan, we create a home engaged with its surroundings and far more able to take advantage of the best attributes its site has to offer –qualities often lacking in the simple box. Please contact us for more detailed information.

Plan Diagram: We begin with the most basic box diagram of a typical single-family home, with a public entry at the front and private zones at the rear.
But here, the bedrooms shift to opposite ends of the house to maximize privacy. Each becomes a potential prime bedroom, opening up possibilities for more flexible use and more diverse family structures.
The plan then pivots around a central hinge point and the walls splay to respond to the shape of the site, orientation, and views.
The inner walls also rotate to take maximize advantage of the site's specific views.
The roof overhangs shade the primary facades. The resulting building form has the flexibility to draw out the most potent relationships with the qualities of the site.
Plan Diagram: We begin with the most basic box diagram of a typical single-family home, with a public entry at the front and private zones at the rear.

The property also has a small pool house centered around a courtyard protected from view, sun, and afternoon breezes.