This major remodel effectively transformed a suburban styled residence into a home that embraced its context and suited the way this family of four lives. Situated at the crossroad of this hillside community, the residence was faced with a basic decision - how to deal with the busy intersection just outside its front door. Rather than turn its back, it was decided that a series of concrete pilasters could turn this apparent negative into a positive. On the street side of these plinths a natural landscape was developed that mimics the hillside and valley beyond, while on the inside of the uprights a flooded courtyard was created with an ever present soundtrack of water.
The ultimate effect is theatrical in its approach; from the exterior one gets a sort of peek-a-boo into the residence, always just shy of a true glimpse inside, while from the residence the fountain reflects the sky above, with the plinths creating a type of stop frame movie of the traffic just beyond. Architecturally an archetypal gable form, clad in copper, captures the essence of the cascading hillside, drawing attention to the picturesque valley in the distance. While inside the residence is opened to the view with its surrounding trees, park, hillside and valley beyond - a modern treehouse for the residences.
