NOA gives the traditional courtyard house a bold twist in Aurora, Oregon

A single-level hillside house, with all glass walls and a flat roof.

Architect Andrew Heid of NOA designed the Courtyard House for his own family, sinking the single-level building into the hillside

(Image credit: TBC)

By Hadani Ditmars

published 12 May 2014

in News

In a neat architectural hat trick, American architect Andrew Heid has fused the traditional courtyard house with Neutra-inspired undertones to create a brand new single family house in Aurora, Oregon.

See the interactive floor plan of Courtyard House by NOA

Heid's visionary design for his own parents, a single level residence sunk into a hillside, may have a modest footprint, but through a subtle interplay of private and common space, it sets a new standard for inter-generational living.

Heid - whose NYC-based firm NOA designed 865 UN Plaza (a residential commission in New York), as well as an award-winning proposal for the Highline - conceived the Courtyard House as 'an inhabited landscape contained within a modernist slab'.

Taking the indoor/outdoor aesthetic of the traditional courtyard home to the next level, Heid composed a series of six interior spaces, framed around a planted, glassed off circular garden. A covered terrace is created by the overhang of the roof.

The entrance is arrived at via an underground garage court and the six interior spaces are divided by two L- shaped cores containing bathrooms and storage areas. They can be used as daytime living or nighttime sleeping areas, giving the idea of flexible space a whole new meaning.

The courtyard optimises views and passive solar gain, but unlike the traditional house of that genre that typically offers visual privacy to its inhabitants, the glass walls of Heid's design embrace the surrounding landscape. The result is a residence cradled by greenery, sunk into the earth, yet filled with light.

Interior of the Courtyard House. Framed around a planted, glassed-off circular garden, we see a sitting area with a navy sofa and chairs, and a kitchen in light wood. — Heid conceived the project as 'an inhabited landscape contained within a modernist slab'

A planted, glassed-off circular garden is to the right. To the left, we see a fireplace with a white rocking chair. — Taking the indoor/outdoor aesthetic of the traditional courtyard home to the next level, Heid composed a series of six interior spaces, framed around a planted, glassed off circular garden

Across from all-glass walls, looking to the greenery outside, we see a sitting area with a navy sofa and chairs around a table. In the distance, a woman is sitting on a grey sofa across from a dining table. — Through a subtle interplay of private and common space, the house sets a new standard for inter-generational living

Through a glass wall, we see the surrounding landscape. It's a sunny day. — The glass walls of Heid's design embrace the surrounding landscape

The courtyard seen from the inside through a circular glass wall. — The courtyard optimises views and passive solar gain

A sitting area with a navy sofa and chairs set around a table, and a kitchen in light wood. A planted, glassed-off circular garden can be seen across from the open concept space. — Heid planned the courtyard as a spatial divider, 'like a family camp, to consolidate and share the conviviality and burdens of daily living without feeling overcrowded at night'

The open plan kitchen and the living area consist of a navy sofa and chairs set around a table and a kitchen in light wood with a black countertop. — The open-plan kitchen and living area

A wooden armchair is set in the corner, next to a large window. A white curtain covers one side of the window. — A quiet corner for contemplation

The entrance to the house is all concrete, with a small garden filled with green plants and decorative stones. — The concrete entrance to the building

Through the glass wall, we see a man sitting by the work desk in his bedroom at night. — The overhand of the roof provides a cover to the terrace

The exterior of the Courtyard House built as if sunken into the hill, and surrounded by greenery. — Heid has created a residence cradled by greenery, sunk into the earth, yet filled with light

TOPICS