The Ridge
The site drops 4 meters from north to south. Most builders would flatten it. We kept the slope.
The house follows the contour, stepping down in three levels. From the road, you see a low profile — a green roof, a wall of glass. From the valley below, the building reveals itself: cantilevered volumes, a sequence of terraces, light pouring through a central courtyard.
Materials
- Structure: Cross-laminated timber (CLT) — sourced within 200km
- Cladding: Charred cedar (Shou Sugi Ban) — 60-year weathering treatment
- Interior: Rammed earth feature wall — soil from the excavation
- Roof: Sedum green roof — absorbs 80% of rainfall
Light
The courtyard isn’t an amenity. It’s the organizing principle. Every room has light from two directions — windows on the exterior wall, and glazing facing the courtyard. In summer, the courtyard roof opens. In winter, it traps heat.
The result is a house that changes character completely from morning to evening, without any artificial lighting until sunset.
