Staircase

While the light-filled Chojamaru View Terrace features an unassuming concrete facade, Endo Architect and Associates carefully designed each unit of the project to have spacious interiors. The delicate staircases are sturdy but unobtrusive.

Much of the metal fabrication work was done by Deters, including the stairs, which combines raw steel with solid black walnut tread.

"There is a contrast of these scrappy and rough elements with the more refined materials that allows the house to not take itself so seriously, and makes the vibe much more relaxed and comfortable," said Knight.

At the meeting point of these two masses, public and private spaces, is a vertical axis that cuts the horizontal plane with the use of a staircase that goes through all levels of the house.

Embraced by a rocky terrain, the three rectilinear volumes of this house spreads interior spaces vertically over three levels, and horizontally over three enclosures. The residence, built from natural materials—some of which was excavated from the site itself—resembles a cavity within a monolithic stone quarry.