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Great Compositions: Light and Private Courtyard Houses
Courtyard homes treat you to sun, light, air — and a new way of looking at the landscape
Urban and Rural Residential design, Houses, Barns and Landscapes
http://www.joshmccullar.com
I am a native of the southern Virginia Piedmont region and grew up in a handful of small towns throughout both Carolinas and Virginia. The rich vernacular landscape of the region's old mills, tobacco barns, railroad tracks, verdant forests, rivers, streams, and dusty fields have been the backdrop of my life. So for me, architectural design begins with the premise that the act of building is a negotiated engagement with the land and should endeavor to create a sense of place. The origin of this value is that architecture at its very best, strengthens and amplifies the inherent qualities of the landscape, and so the craft of building must begin and end with a respectful stewardship of the site.
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Urban and Rural Residential design, Houses, Barns and Landscapes
http://www.joshmccullar.com
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The arrangement of a house can be a strong influence on the landscape itself. Formal houses like center-hall colonials appear as strong singular objects in the landscape to be viewed from its approach, while informal, site-specific houses can be used to define and give form to the landscape.
Moving beyond the intentions of the L-shaped plan or the practical needs of the dogtrot plan, the courtyard house provides strongly delineated edges to nearly contain the outdoor room. The primary difference between them is that the plan layout often sets up a visual axis of sight to a focal point, and the arrangement of the plan allows maximum privacy of the outdoor room.
Typically, the principle rooms are arranged around a central courtyard with sun, light and air flow permeating through both sides of each room. A clear separation of living and sleeping space can be achieved while allowing all rooms direct access to the same exterior space.
In America, houses like this were historically found in the Southern and Southwestern regions as a direct response to the climate before electricity and air conditioning, while in the cooler North a more compact cubic form was appropriate to minimize exposure to wind and to retain heat at the heart of the home. Today, these arrangements are still the most sustainable design approach for their regions.
Moving beyond the intentions of the L-shaped plan or the practical needs of the dogtrot plan, the courtyard house provides strongly delineated edges to nearly contain the outdoor room. The primary difference between them is that the plan layout often sets up a visual axis of sight to a focal point, and the arrangement of the plan allows maximum privacy of the outdoor room.
Typically, the principle rooms are arranged around a central courtyard with sun, light and air flow permeating through both sides of each room. A clear separation of living and sleeping space can be achieved while allowing all rooms direct access to the same exterior space.
In America, houses like this were historically found in the Southern and Southwestern regions as a direct response to the climate before electricity and air conditioning, while in the cooler North a more compact cubic form was appropriate to minimize exposure to wind and to retain heat at the heart of the home. Today, these arrangements are still the most sustainable design approach for their regions.
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by Ownby Design
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| In this Arizona house, a reflecting pool in the courtyard and a strong axis through the living space sets up a formal symmetry. Vertical plantings, columns, and exposed rafter tails beneath the roof create rhythm and add human scale to the space. In a desert climate, the use of a reflecting pool in the courtyard has an evaporative cooling effect on the microclimate of a home. The solid mass of stucco masonry walls provides thermal storage for heat during the day and releases it back into the atmosphere at night. |
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| In a home on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas, two wings are connected by a long open breezeway. Again, the pool occupies the courtyard, and a visual axis leads the eye outward into a grove of lovely live oaks, which themselves help complete the overall composition. I am particularly drawn to the way asymmetry is used here to great effect, while the parts of the composition create balance. There are several very clever design moves here: Placing the angled wooden lounge chairs along solid, hard-edged stone walls makes beautiful contrast, and the columns supporting the shelter at the terrace beyond extend the punctuating effect of the tree trunks. The open, recessed, covered loggia on the left is mirrored by its opposite: solid stone walls. And notice how the sky and earth are merged by the pool, making each wing of the house appear to float in space, but "bridged" beneath the oak canopy. |
This courtyard is not so much a contained room but designed like an architectural folly, appearing as ruins in an old Southern Lowcountry garden adjacent to the house.
But, I like the axis of the fountain centered on the arched opening to the lawn, and the contrast between white stucco and sinuous live oaks. The design sets up a nice sequence of spaces intended to integrate the house with nature.
But, I like the axis of the fountain centered on the arched opening to the lawn, and the contrast between white stucco and sinuous live oaks. The design sets up a nice sequence of spaces intended to integrate the house with nature.
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| Here is a good example of a courtyard bound on all sides by walls. The gate acts as the front door of the home, where the first room one enters is outside. This was common in Spanish-influenced houses to secure the outer walls of the hacienda compound, as the real entrance was found further within. |
| The sound of water and rhythm of plantings and fountains border a path through a central tall entry pavilion. The courtyard is intentionally set up as a place of movement, rather than static occupation. |
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| Informal, and asymmetrical, the courtyard of this house is for casual evenings with friends and family. The full-height sliding glass walls can be entirely opened for covered outdoor space. The monochromatic color tones of the architectural elements allow the furnishings to be the accent color. There is no strong axis or formality at all, and unlike the previous home, the fireplace here is not the primary focus, but serves as a place to warm the hands and maybe make s'mores with the kids! Notice the how rills of smooth dark gray river stone are used to separate the concrete terrace into smaller areas with lines extending from the geometry of the house. This is a small but well considered gesture by the designer to add implied zones for each activity area. |
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| Sometimes the courtyard is as simple as a gravel covered yard designed simply to bring light and air to each room. This outdoor space does not appear to be a destination or place to gather. |
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by Urban Landscape
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| There is perhaps no greater way to terminate an axis than at an outdoor fireplace. The symmetry is further reinforced with twin urns and twin sofas, and even the tall trees beyond are nearly twins. The exterior walls here are softened by lush plantings and ground cover. A stepped perimeter curb sets apart the perfectly flat stone paved terrace. A space like this is designed for retreat and respite from the outside world, and all major spaces of the home have access to it. |
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by Urban Landscape
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| The addition of overhead beams further define and contain the outdoor room of this courtyard house. The placement of other elements are very similar to the previous image. |
| Courtyards are almost always paved in stone or gravel, but this one uses interlocking wood deck pavers. Using wood instead of stone is appropriate to the scale of a courtyard bound by one-story walls. Like the introductory image, the living space is centrally located and opens to the landscape, but the overall composition is informal for this home. The courtyard house plan integrates the use and relationship of the exterior with the functions of the interior, and allows light and air flow into all primary interior spaces as the house itself creates the landscape. More: The L-Shaped House Plan The Dogtrot House Plan Living La Vida Linear The U-Shaped House |
Comments
Kyle White Awesome idea book! Cool pics
19 months ago · Like
CJ Sebert When I was a little girl I loved looking through my dad's old Sunset books and he had one with a feature on courtyards...there is just something so regal about them. Great ideabook.
19 months ago · Like
uttara and adwait beee you tee full
19 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on Nov. 30, 2011.
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