The idea of designing an accordion roof had been percolating in our studio for years; it was waiting for the ideal client. Then, in the year before the pandemic, an international couple (he of Indian heritage by way of Australia, she a Japanese citizen) came to us with dreams of creating a comfortable accommodation for the grandparents who would visit from overseas. Thinking ahead, they envisioned this could morph into a cool hangout for their three growing children and eventually a gracefully downsized home for their own retirement. After weighing various options, they concluded that building a brand new detached structure in the backyard would best serve all these different stages with differing demands for privacy and connection with the main residence. 

When it came to the accordion, It was a rare opportunity when we could make a leap on shaping the exterior form and allow the interior spaces to develop and grow towards it. As a result, the feeling of continuity is much more global in level. Rarer still was the willingness of our client to invest in an exterior expression which could hardly be seen by human eye from the ground level. The accordion gives shape to an otherwise squarish plan with cutouts (an effort to maximize the tight lot,) while a series of skylights traversing the undulating roof indicates the main flow of entry, living room, and kitchen. Looking up from the living areas, the composition of the somewhat asymmetric gables treats a traditional motif with playfulness; the walls are angled subtly outward to meet the skylights as if to embrace the sun.

In organizing the interior, the most important consideration is how the family bath must occupy a central location. Contrary to typical floor plans where an ensuite master bath is considered a desirable feature, we follow the Japanese tradition where everything, and bathing in particular, is communal. From initial concepts to details, we aim to evoke the Japanese Onsen ambience with a modern vocabulary: Cedar plank cladding on one wall that extends across the vaulted ceiling, warm neutral porcelain wall tiles to contrast with dark gray floor tiles, matte black fixtures, white Krion® integrated trough double sink, and finally the star feature being the spacious soaking tub with a white Krion® deck and matte black waterfall tub filler.

The generous opening with a pocket door allows this bath to be part of the common areas; the bifold glass doors open the space completely to the outside which, together with the large operable skylight, give the feeling of bathing in nature. The small deck beyond serves as a transition to the outside.