This compact single-family house is designed on a peculiar trapezoid shaped 6 perch land. The building geometry and footprint emerges from maximising the regulatory setbacks of the plot, including building lines, rear space and a turning circle in front.

The program provides a three-bedroom, two-bathroom residence with an additional servant’s room and bath, within a highly compact 1590 square foot  interior space. The project was developed under a deliberately restrained budget which we responded to through the compact  floor plan and also through minimalist, rustic finishes and extensive built-in furniture to reduce costs while maximizing efficiency and usability.

And yet, these constraints did not hinder the poetics of the project. A double-height space, illuminated by a skylight, connects the ground and upper floors and acts as the spatial and environmental heart of the house. A sculptural staircase composed of perforated metal treads supported by a concrete wall, and a reclaimed antique door reworked by a local artist who painted artworks of local plant species onto its panels, reflect a hands-on, locally rooted approach to construction and craft.

Front and rear courtyards enable effective cross ventilation throughout the house. This passive strategy is reinforced by an experimental solar chimney integrated into the double-height space, which draws hot air upward and out of the building through the stack effect. On the ground floor, the main living area opens directly onto a courtyard, with a floor-to-ceiling curtain softly mediating the threshold between interior and exterior, reinforcing the inhabitant’s connection to nature.