Glorious Glass-Enclosed Courtyards

The glass wall separating the main living area and the inner courtyard garden opens like an accordion to create a barrier-free transition. Built-in planters along the walls of the courtyard add greenery without eating into the valuable surface area of the courtyard.

An interior glass courtyard anchors the central living areas—the dining room, foyer, living room, and kitchen all circulate a living tree. This was installed for natural light and to reinforce a connection between the indoors and outdoors.

A single crepe myrtle, which sports red blossoms in summer, defines the courtyard.

For Paul and Shoko Shozi, a pair of retiring Angelenos, the goal was to shut out the neighborhood but bring in the sunny skies. Their new prefab home, the Tatami House, designed by Swiss architect Roger Kurath of Design*21, makes a central courtyard the physical, and maybe even the spiritual, center of the home. Because the Japanese maple in the courtyard had to be planted before the ipe deck was laid, Kurath designed a small removable panel to allow access to the tree’s base. The Shozis can pull up the bit of decking to tend to the tree and replace it when they’re through. And because the boards line up perfectly, only the gardener need know it’s there. From the kitchen and living room you’re well connected to the courtyard and the rest of the house.

The home’s forms, which are masked by the cantilevered entrance, become apparent once one enters the central courtyard. Living spaces abut three of its sides, looking in with full-height windows. The roofline can be seen fluctuating as one goes from front-to-back. The memorial tree, around which the courtyard and home are built, will continue to grow in coming years.