Oxley Residence

4 Semi-detached + condo block In balancing privacy with density, we designed the houses in an interlocking layout. From the North and South elevations, only two houses are exposed at a time. Yet, all the spaces enjoy natural light and ventilation via the insertion of internal courtyards to separate each house. The design premise for the overall ribbon form started with a critique on the default attic roof design: for regulatory compliance, many a 45-degree sloped roof has been applied over disparate housing floors below in a marriage of convenience. We felt strongly that there was a need to formally unify the entire house. We introduced a gentler raked roof and allowed the simple white roof to also be walls and ledges that embrace the housing floors as it undulates from top to bottom, 'sewing' up and unifying the form. This curving ribbon simultaneously protects the interior and ‘disturbs’ the air space of the internal courtyards between the units, giving different qualities to interior and exterior spaces.