This design for a moderate cost single family residence for Indian immigrants, proposes a solution for the duality between the need for climatic and acoustic protection from a very transited avenue in the front of the house and the client’s requirement of having a direct relation to it’s patio. The two-level structure, approximately 2400 sq.ft., spans from one side of the lot to the other in order to serve as a mediator between the busy and aggressive front facing the avenue and the domestic and private functions. These domestic areas are organized around a patio on the cooler north side of the property. The patio is, visually and functionally, an extension of the hall and the dining room, also bringing natural lighting and ventilation to the residence. The patio space culminates with a lap pool that is treated as a pond flanking the existing garage annex.

In this manner, a double height space of the hall and dining room is positioned between the patio and the private areas of the house. This space is lighted and ventilated by means of large pyramidal shaped skylights that also act as ‘tropical chimneys’ that suction warm air. Skylights are also present on a smaller scale in the bedrooms. The facade between the patio and this space acts as a permeable membrane filtering the light and air that comes into the space. All the rooms in this house are naturally illuminated and ventilated.