The house is for a family of four - husband and wife, their child, and an elderly parent. The house is situated in a noisy and busy commercial district, with a church at its rear. In this house we sought to address the issues related to climate and noise with passive design strategies and avoid active measures that might be energy consuming.

By introducing courtyards on every level and creating carefully calculated openings and skylights, the internal spaces are flushed with maximum natural light in the day, reducing the need for artificial lighting. Providing gaps between the rooms and party walls also allows the house to be naturally ventilated and reduces reliance on mechanical cooling.

As the house is fronting a busy road with tall commercial buildings, privacy and sound insulation were important to the homeowners. With that in mind, we have created solid façades and planned the spaces in what may initially come across as a counter-intuitive manner – locating the service areas to the front, and all major rooms towards the back.

The main courtyard features a triple volume space, with a concrete pergola that ensures maximum daylight with a glass skylight, so rain does not enter. There is also an intentionally unclear definition between the indoor and outdoor, which allows the homeowners to live with nature where spaces expand and flow seamlessly.

The house is equipped with solar panels as a means for being more eco-friendly. However, with the introduction of courtyards and openings on many faces of the building, the house is often windy, and the homeowners rely mostly on fans to keep them cool.