The Courtyard House

The Courtyard House

The two storey house is located in Toronto, Canada. The designer is trying to design a space serves as a modern, cozy and playful environment for friends and family gatherings, as well as a peaceful and enjoyable space for daily life.

A double height ceiling interior courtyard is at the center of the house with a series of landscapes and bamboo to integrate outdoor nature with indoor dwelling. The kitchen, dining room, living room, tea room and study room are placed and stacked around the central courtyard to give users visual access. Rooms are stacked and arranged around the central courtyard, creating a vertical village like spatial relationship while providing a certain degree of privacy. Stairs are located adjacent to the courtyard, providing access to all floor levels. Family members can communicate across the courtyard and maintain visibility of each other.

The architecture façade is divided into five stacked pieces with different façade angles, which carry the same design language. With large windows placed at four sides of the building, and the skylight on top of the central courtyard, this stacked spatial planning enables light to stream into the entire house.

The design successfully provides a cozy and peaceful place by creating an interior courtyard as an in-between space that blurs the boundary of outside and in. The resulting space provides a unique living experience and enhances the interaction between users and nature, while effectively meeting the client’s directives.