Residential · 2024
A house that follows the light
Private client
210 m²
Floor area
-64%
Energy use
16 mo
Build time
Overview
A family home on a steep coastal slope, organised entirely around the path of the sun through the day.
The brief
The clients had a difficult sloping site with a spectacular view but harsh afternoon glare, and a modest budget that ruled out the obvious glass box.
Our approach
We stepped the house down the hill in three levels, opening each room to the aspect that suited it — morning kitchen, sheltered midday courtyard, evening living room — and using deep timber reveals to tame the light rather than fight it.
The outcome
The result is a home that feels twice its size and needs almost no heating or cooling. It won the National Architecture Prize and the family says it still surprises them with light.
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