Inspired by the Japanese concept of Oku, no view gives it all away at once. Rather, the building unfolds, piece by piece, as you continue from one room to the next, with each room designed to evoke delight, a subtle surprise and a curiosity to explore.

The generous program is divided into a cluster of smaller building blocks, arranged in asymmetrical balance, to attain a pleasant scale and outdoor space protected from wind.

The boundary between inside and outside is blurred by minimal frame windows with sliding panels. The garden outside is constantly present. Skylights connect the bathrooms with morning light and the starlit sky. Hidden lighting fixtures add a human warmth and sense of safety to the dark hours without cluttering the serenity of minimal gestures. Pools of light define rooms inside the open space

while subtle wall washers add definition and depth to the thick walls.

The interior is organized around an undefined, double height space, vaguely based on Wittkower’s Palladian diagram. Areas for cooking, dining and soft seating by the fire are connected by the spacious center while separated by four distinct blocks containing food, wine, fire and staircase.

We believe that the most sustainable thing we can do as architects is to focus on lifecycle perspective and build with a quality that is built to last for centuries rather than decades.