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A residential and commercial building will be extended into an existing courtyard. First of all, nothing extraordinary appears. However, the special feature of this building task - contrary to the usual backyard situations - is the visibility of the new structure of the adjoining Peterskirchhof.

This 3,200 sf single-family residence and accompanying 800 sf pool house were envisioned as a refuge cradled within the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest. The design uses a series of thickened walls which run east-west along the topography of the dramatic mountain site to establish discrete programmatic zones and protect the interiors from the sun. Each resulting zone affirms its connection to the surrounding hillside, extending to outdoor living areas and into the landscape beyond, while the thickened walls demarcate successively more private areas of the house.

Montparnasse neighborhood, more precisely Pernety, in a charming little street, between some big buildings, there was a tiny house. We destroyed it. The new house has also a garden with a rose bush all over the portal but that’s it... It’s strange, it stretches on 7 floors, light weighted, slended with its nimbus of metal lacework, it’s the “Maison Plissée”, the wrinkled house.
The coolest spots are up top, we access them directly by an elevator (like in the Different Strokes show). The visit patio, kitchen, panoramic roofing pack forms a little penthouse with views everywhere and a mind-blowing sunshine.

The sunken yard – usually meant to allow light into a basement floor and mostly placed at the fringes of the plot – is this house’s central motif. Measuring 25m long, 5m wide and almost 7m high, it sits in the heart of the structure and divides the house into three sections: one with the private bedroom facing the street; one with the living room and master bedroom facing the backyard; and between them, a section with the internal double-level yard that extends the entire length of the building.

Architecture is the result of a complex phase, such as the project. It is not a unique and linear process but it is based on the continuous review of multiple options available always keeping a critical attitude. This is a peculiar practice manner based on the primary role of the IDEA in the process. The act of DOING is also fundamental and researches a balance between the three steps of working on architecture: theory, order and the final outcome. Each one keeps the essence of the original idea and gradually becomes more precise and developed until the project reaches the realization. Theory is a synthesis in the making of the background made of models, references, words and other contributions coming from other disciplines, all weaved together.

In 2016, Maogong government and Dimen Eco-Museum decided to convert an old vacant barn into an Art Center for local communities as a new culture carrier. Approach Architecture Studio turned this redevelopment commission into a pivotal project of Maogong revitalization plan.

The clients are a couple of environmental scientists who, along with their two sons, relocated from the Oakland Hills to the warmer climate of Orinda. Their commitment to sustainability, including a request for net-zero energy performance annually, was evident in their thinking throughout the design process. A three-bedroom program began as a remodel of a 1954 ranch house at the foot of a hill next to a seasonal creek.