COURTYARD HOUSE

2021 AIASF MERIT AWARD UNBUILT ARCHITECTURE, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS SAN FRANCISCO

2021 GADA FIRST PLACE AWARD LARGE PRIVATE RESIDENCE, RE-THINKING THE FUTURE GLOBAL ARCHITECTURE DESIGN AWARDS

Home is more than shelter. It is a space to sleep, work, play, entertain, teach, learn, grow, and connect.

The Courtyard House is designed as a mixed-use building with an emphasis on the connection to nature and spatial quality. The project is composed of efficiently aggregated spaces. Four courtyards puncture the floorplan. The circulation is through rooms, eliminating the need for corridors.

Designed for a tech client and an art collector, the primary program of the house includes bedrooms, an office studio, and an art gallery. The secondary spaces consist of a living area, kitchen, library, and bathroom. Supportive functions, in the form of appliances, millwork, and closets, line up the walls of the house. The four courtyards surround a multi-functional flexible room that can be used as formal dining, entertaining amenity, or conference space. The design of doors and thresholds are unique features of the project. Smart glazing allows for transparent surfaces to turn into opaque glazed walls instantly if more privacy is desired. These transparent thresholds enable see-through views to the courtyards, to the outside, and to other spaces of the house.