Set snugly into the very steep terrain, this house hugs the natural contours of the site. In a gesture reminiscent of water pooling and streaming down the slopes of a valley, the house features a series of three ponds. Rain water collected on the roof of the house is channelled into the first and uppermost pond which overflows into a creek down the slope into the second pond, before cascading into the third one at the bottom. At each pond, the water collected is used for irrigation of the garden.

The swimming pool is at the heart of this L-shape house, and the path of the rainwater channelling.

In response to the existing terrain, numerous steep slopes had to be cut to accommodate the built-in components of the house. However, we built minimal concrete retaining walls. Instead, we employed the Deltalok system of slope retention that uses fabric bags containing soil. This system ensures lots of steep green walls that are maintenance-free, quick to construct, and in sync with the main strategy of keeping the house as eco-friendly as possible. 

According to the manufacturer of the Deltalok system, its use reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 97% compared to the construction of concrete retaining walls.
In addition to the use of Deltalok walls, other environmentally friendly gestures in the construction of this house includes the use of wind turbines on the roof to generate natural ventilation, recycling of granite slabs salvaged from the demolition of an office tower for the carporch and driveway paving and reconstituted bamboo for both internal flooring as well as outdoor decks.