Courtyard House on a Steep Site / Hutchison & Maul Architecture
© Eduardo Calderon
Architects: Hutchison & Maul Architecture
Location: Mercer Island, Washington, USA
Design Team: Robert Hutchison, Tom Maul, Joyce Puri
Landscape Architect: Bruce Hinckley, Alchemie
Structural Engineer: Jeff Albert
Mechanical Engineer: Rainbow Consulting
Interior Design: Hutchison & Maul Architecture w/ Julie Petri
Contractor: EH Construction
Project Area: 623 sqm
Project Year: 2004-2007
Photography: Eduardo Calderon, Alan Abramowitz, Tom Hille, Hutchison & Maul Architecture
The site is very steep, long and narrow – 50’ wide by 400’ long with an average slope of 35%. Located on the west side of Mercer Island, there are panoramic views west towards Seattle and the Olympic Mountains beyond. Zoning permitted construction on only 35’ of the 50’ property width, and limited the height of the building to 30’ relative to the slope of the site.
site plan
© Alan Abramowitz
Exterior terraces and courtyards are carved into the sloping hillside to facilitate pedestrian circulation throughout the site; to provide natural light throughout the primary levels of the house; and to provide privacy from the neighboring properties. The house consists of two parts: a concrete plinth which contains utilitarian and less-used spaces; and a hovering wood volume above that contains the private functions of family bedrooms and bathrooms. The resulting space sandwiched between the wood structure and concrete plinth houses the primary living areas, bound by large expanses of glazing that afford views through the open level of the house to the Lake beyond.
© Alan Abramowitz
To access the house, one navigates through the series of excavated exterior terraces and stairways, across water features and bridges, then down another stairway, finally arriving at a small exterior glass-enclosed courtyard in the center of the residence. This entry sequence informed the shape of the wood volume as well as the placement and configuration of the concrete retaining walls. Horizontal wood siding assembled with members of alternating depth enhance the notions of texture, shadow and perspective; contrast with the smooth concrete site walls; and ultimately heighten the journey from driveway to center of house.
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Alan Abramowitz
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- © Hutchison & Maul Architecture
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- © Tom Hille
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- © Tom Hille
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Alan Abramowitz
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- © Alan Abramowitz
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- © Alan Abramowitz
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Eduardo Calderon
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- © Hutchison & Maul Architecture
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- site plan
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- floor plans 01
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- floor plans 02
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- elevation
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- section
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- detailed section
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- models 01
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- models 02
this is a brilliant house – really fantastic … and exactly what I prefer … love it!
Attended a lecture by Tom Hille last year, he talked a little about this house.
Absolutely brilliant
gorgeous…. i love this blog lol
10:58 AM Dec 31st
Courtyard House on a Steep Site / Hutchison & Maul Architecture: © Eduardo CalderonArchitects: Hutchison &a.. http://bit.ly/7tD8aQ
11:43 AM Dec 31st
Courtyard House on a Steep Site / Hutchison & Maul Architecture http://bit.ly/7tD8aQ
3:44 PM Dec 31st
http://www.archdaily.com/44999/courtyard-house-on-a-steep-site-hutchison-maul-architecture/ http://bit.ly/6iJAOg
11:34 AM Jan 1st
Courtyard House on a Steep Site / Hutchison & Maul Architecture | ArchDaily – http://shar.es/aUaNw
6:40 PM Jan 2nd
I love architecture on steep sites. It gets way more creative: http://bit.ly/4y4V3N
7:25 AM Jan 4th
#design "Courtyard House on a Steep Site / Hutchison & Maul Architecture" что-то в этом есть.. или это из-за зимы http://bit.ly/4Xs1qq
6:55 PM Jan 4th
Great solution to a steep and narrow lake site. Courtyard House on a Steep Site / Hutchison & Maul Architecture http://bit.ly/7lpDuj
7:33 PM Jan 10th
and i love this house: http://bit.ly/4Xs1qq
12:10 AM Apr 19th
Dream house of the Day: Courtyard House on a Steep Site by Hutchison & Maul Architecture – http://ow.ly/1z9bZ
12:10 AM Apr 20th
Dream House of the day: Courtyard House on a Steep Site by Hutchison & Maul Architecture – http://ow.ly/1AvPp
9:36 PM Dec 2nd
Nice Seattle Courtyard House http://tiny.cc/76fb2