Mini-Courtyard House: The New Starter
The Mini-Courtyard House is a contemporary, sustainable starter home for the Who’s Next competition. The challenge was to design an 1800 SF home fitting a contemporary family lifestyle that is also sustainable and adaptable to different climates. To satisfy a siteless sustainable design, the project incorporated moves minimizing the need for artificial lighting and mechanical cooling and to specify products made from responsible production methods and high use of recycled content. The chosen pilot site was an urban infill property in Los Angeles.
  The courtyard garden is the design feature of the house, becoming an integrated outdoor space in an urban environment. Its garden walls provide an organic source of food, improve air quality, and create a cooling microclimate. Folding glass walls open on either side to expand the open living space and allow effective cross- and stack-ventilation for passive cooling. On the second level, they create an interior balcony. The courtyard is also a daylighting atrium to maximize natural diffused lighting. A shared family bathroom separates sink, toilet, and shower components to encourage efficient water usage, save space, and vertically stack plumbing..