Matchbox Houses

Old stone fences, rocks, and pines gave the site a temporal perspective. The blocks settled down like overlapping matchboxes. Old stone fences, rocks and pines were spared. They became an essential part of the courtyard and street facade. There is a covered terrace below the upper floor overhangs and a sunny roof terrace over the lower floor roof. From the street, you enter the courtyard through the stone fence gate and enter the houses' entrances, either on a garden stairs or on a paved path. On the street side of the matchboxes there are facade retreats that form the entrance canopies. The entrance lobby faces a long view through the house and the “stairway to heaven”. The passage is guided smoothly to the upper floor of the building where the main spaces are located. The floors are joined by an open, glass-covered space, where daylight is screened.