Cindy, thank you for your kind words. To answer your question the walls for this project are thick in order to satisfy a design requirement of the project and project the feeling of a barrier. Being next to a park privacy and acoustics were taken into consideration and the resulting walls were designed to be constructed from staggered 2x6 studs on a 2x8 plate and properly sound insulated. The windows were also designed with the same criteria for privacy and acoustics in mind and have slots that allow the side pieces you see in the photo to slide shut. Thanks for your interest in our work, SPD