The study for the Oil Nut Bay Residence looks at the traditional prototypical home: the courtyard house.  Using this typology allowed us to study the programmatic and climatic benefits utilized for centuries.  Beginning there, the courtyard volume is sliced and expanded to a bar in order to work with the steep topography and existing conditions of the site.  Courtyards and subtractions then begin to carve away at this bar, brining light and greenery into the interior of the spaces, while breaking up the interior program and elongating the house.

In order to mitigate some of the impact of the steep site, and place the home well below the road above, the entrance to the home is on the roof.  Guests are confronted with a stone garden wall, shielding the view out to the sea.  Upon entering through this wall, one is immediately confronted with panoramic views while standing on a massive green roof.  The main levels of the house are accessed below this green roof.  The lower levels devolve into terraces which begin to integrate the house into the surrounding natural landscape.  The end result of these moves is a structure which blends in to its surroundings, revealing only the main levels of the house to the outside.

Project Data
Location:  Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Building Type:  Private Residence
Area:  5,000 sqft