Tree Courtyard House

Designed for a local developer on a restricted site at the end of a small laneway, the project was guided by a mature London Plane tree and its root system in the corner of the site. With a focus on preserving the site’s natural elements while maximising functionality and accessibility, the two-bedroom home with level access is organised in an L-shaped plan around the tree and garden. Given the tight footprint, corridors have been eliminated to maximise space efficiency and create smooth transitions between rooms. The entrance is positioned at the heart of the house, with the living area, kitchen, dining, and bathroom centrally located and book-ended by two bedrooms facing the courtyard garden. To protect the privacy of the occupants and the many surrounding neighbours, the roof form is mono-pitched towards the courtyard. High-level windows provide framed views of the tree foliage, while low-level views look directly into the garden and the large tree trunk. The height of the internal courtyard walls creates a protected enclave and adds a generous sense of volume within the garden. Constructed from handmade bricks and cross-laminated timber (CLT), the natural materials are combined to minimise environmental impact, while an exhaust air heat pump lowers operational carbon. A key detail of the house is the seamless exposed CLT ceiling, which creates a clean fold in the transition between the two pitched ceilings of the L-shaped plan using a glue-laminated beam embedded into the roof construction.