The 260-square-meter site was formed by merging three adjoining urban lots, each measuring 4.5 × 20 meters and fronting two streets. Making the most of these advantages, the architects reoriented the house so that its main facade faces the longer side of the site. This approach creates a greater sense of openness while capturing the prevailing southeast breeze for natural ventilation. Rather than maximizing the building footprint, the design preserves a generous setback from the street, allowing for a spacious front courtyard that serves as both an arrival space and a convenient parking area.
The female homeowner envisioned a bright, airy, and comfortable home for her retired parents - a place where the family could come together, with children and grandchildren gathering to celebrate holidays and special occasions.
The ground floor accommodates an ancestral worship room, the grandparents' bedroom, a flexible guest bedroom that can also serve as a caregiver's room, and an open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area. Together, these spaces function as a self-contained living environment, allowing the grandparents to carry out their daily routines comfortably on a single level. Circulation routes, clear door widths, and ramp gradients were carefully designed to meet the needs of older adults - not only for their current mobility but also to ensure the house can readily accommodate future care if required.
The first floor is designed as a comfortable retreat for the homeowner's family whenever they return to stay with the grandparents. It includes a spacious primary bedroom, a children's bedroom with bunk beds for two, a shared family lounge, a home office, and an outdoor play terrace
Despite its compact two-story layout, the house accommodates a wide range of functional spaces arranged in a clear and logical sequence, with a total gross floor area of approximately 300 square meters
A defining feature of the house is that every room enjoys access to natural daylight, eliminating the need for artificial lighting throughout the day. To overcome the limited daylight on the west and south sides, where the house adjoins neighboring buildings, the architects introduced two skylights that draw sunlight deep into the interior from above. The warm daylight filtering through the double-height voids provides welcome solar warmth during the cold winters of this misty highland city. The skylights also play a vital role in the home's natural ventilation strategy. Working together with the open plan, they create a stack effect that draws in the prevailing southeast breeze, allowing fresh air to pass over a reflecting pool before circulating throughout the house, bringing a cool and comfortable indoor environment during the summer months.
The homeowner placed particular emphasis on the supporting spaces that enrich everyday living, including a garden storage shed, a shoe-changing foyer, a utility yard, a pantry, and generous built-in storage throughout the house. Rather than maximizing the size of the primary rooms, the design favors spaces that are appropriately proportioned and complemented by tactile, honest materials. Natural stone flooring, textured plaster finishes, and exposed brick boundary walls come together to create a home that feels warm, inviting, and deeply connected to everyday life.
Once the project was completed, the homeowner was fully convinced by the design team's daylighting strategy - the house truly became a house with two skylights.
