DESCENDING HOUSE

2018

The Descending House, designed for a young couple and their son, gets its name from the path that traverses the length of the home from front to rear, following the land’s contour. The path from the entrance leads to a sunken kitchen and dining area with a higher ceiling, designated by the clients early in their brief as the main gathering area of the house. Mirroring its long orientation, a yard runs in a parallel direction.

The master bedroom and living room are stacked on the north wing of the L-shaped footprint, with openings to the east and west. The living room steps leading down to the garden serves as casual outdoor seating, where the small family often lounge and talk about their day. The south wing houses the kitchen and dining area on the ground floor, above which are their son’s bedroom and a family room that can be converted into a future bedroom. A shared balcony on the 1st floor level follows the L shape, providing an outdoor connection between the two bedrooms and surrounding the yard.

The frontage of the lot is narrow (8 meters), and opens out to almost twice its width onto a generous paved outdoor area before the house, used both as a driveway and a patio. A plant strip and concrete ledge arranged in an angle forms a more private nook and shields the living room from the driveway. A tall, angular concrete fin bordering the master bedroom and living room wing shades the glass façade. A study and den comprise the left of the front façade, looking out onto the patio.