Courtyard House in July Architectural Record "Featured Houses".

Program: A multi-generational family that loves entertaining and gardening asked New York-based architect Andrew Heid to design a versatile house that catered to their love for the outdoors and accommodated aging family members.

Location: The property perches on a lush, hillside site in Aurora, a tiny community in Northwest Oregon. The house overlooks protected wetlands and the Pudding River.

Solution: The architect designed a one-story glazed, rectilinear house with deep overhangs to fit into the gently sloping site. To access the main floor, the family members gradually descend a concrete stair from the parking area to the entrance.

In order to introduce light and foliage into the house itself, the architect carved out an oblong, faceted courtyard within the living and dining areas. Two L-shaped cores at opposite corners of the main floor define both the master bedroom and the kitchen spaces. From the living room, a glazed door opens onto the terrace cantilevered over the steep riverbank.

Construction methods: The house's structure is steel columns with glulam beams. The concrete floor slab, partially embedded into the hillside, is polished throughout to complement the luminous, glazed surfaces

Content © 2017 NO ARCHITECTURE, PLLC. All rights reserved.