mountain view, CA
This home is located in a dense neighborhood, where the narrow lot (42 ft. x 125ft.) required a plan only 32 feet in width. To compound the difficulty of the site, a shared driveway extends along one edge, requiring that the house favor the opposite side of the site.
Using this as a starting point, the house organizes itself around an open-sided courtyard on the private side of the side. The house is unique in the way the courtyard is re-interpreted as a space half within the home, and half outside. This space is made possible by the use of a 21 foot retractable wall of glass. This major space of the home is free to act as a living area that is both simultaneously indoors and out – spanning the full width of the site and giving the impression of a much larger environment.

