Rising from the pastoral landscape of central California, the HS residence embodies echoes of a time when the majority of humankind lived with and not simply on the land. To accomplish this, the architectural team sought to negotiate the boundary between contemporary and agrarian design.
Inspired in large part by the surrounding hills, the home is organized around three scattered courtyards, which anchor both the architectural form and floor plan. Rather than their customary use as the antidote for urbanization, these courtyards have been designed instead to elevate what is sacred in the simple rituals of daily living.
Two courtyards form the primary and most distant wings of the home. One is designed solely for living, and the other is devoted exclusively to resting. Through this organization, the architects sought to prioritize simplicity of function as well as form. A narrow corridor connects these two wings and also doubles as the fourth wall to the third and largest courtyard in the heart of the home. Fully exposed to the sun and stars above, this central courtyard is home to one of the site’s most treasured features: an ancient oak tree. The circulation between these three sanctuaries mirrors nature’s foundational rhythm - the movement from day to night and back to day again. A place of retreat and rest, this residence ultimately taps into the timeless heritage of symbiotic and simple living with the land.
