This three-bedroom single family house transforms an earlier project into a family compound centered around a large courtyard. The clients, longtime residents of a house renovated by the firm, purchased the site next door to accommodate their extended family. They requested a building that was architecturally cohesive with, but distinguished from, their current residence.

The firm responded by designing a 3,400 SF residence that parallels the former project and extends its architectural vocabulary through a compatible, though identifiably different, strategy. Although both projects feature light screening geometric terraces, the former terraces are comprised of perforated sheet metal on aluminum frames while the latter are formed of wood battens on steel frames. These semi-enclosed terraces allow the buildings to face each other without compromising privacy in the interiors.

The addition appears as a simple wooden box elevated on concrete piers. The ground floor is formed of cast-in-place, board-formed concrete walls and contains a sunken exterior living area that faces the surrounding landscape. The second floor has a wood frame with an undulating ceiling comprised of exposed wood joists. Each bedroom on the second floor contains a custom-shaped skylight designed to capture morning light.

The shared courtyard and swimming pool bridge the two sites and serves as a central play space for the family’s children.