privacy/screening

An outdoor shower in the lower courtyard includes most of the materials that define the project, including Cor-Ten steel posts, horizontal ipe slats and decking, a custom seat and towel shelf set into a natural boulder, and concrete pavers. The yard includes many elements built for play, like a water feature embedded in a concrete wall that is fed by runoff rainwater collected from the breezeway roof.

In the master bedroom, the same perforated material that was used in the bathroom gives a sense of sunlight filtering through leaves.

The master bedroom is defined on the north side by a series of indoor louvers, which allow the couple to frame and manage their views.

The slats on the window offer solar protection and privacy. “Before the slats were installed, it really felt like you were just living on the street,” says Vanbesien.

Perforated metal walls protect the patio from the area’s intense winds.

When extended, the metal-mesh curtain wall deflects the sunlight to mitigate the internal temperature of the structure. Similar energy-efficient gestures include geothermal heating and cooling, shading and venting systems, solar panels, and organic finishes and materials.

Trees create beautiful shadows on the slatted courtyard fence.

The couple found terra cotta breeze block that they stained black and installed so that the pattern was randomized. The builder was a bit scandalized that they wanted to cover the view from the living room, but Tom says, "The view is here all the time and it's nice to go from room to room and discover it, then rediscover it."