© Nils Koenning
This small house in Melbourne, Australia was designed by Günter Gerlach of Gestalten. A tiny building site and local regulations limiting the height left only a very small building envelope. The architect responded to the challenge by digging the house into the ground, but this is no ordinary basement. Both lower level bedrooms have a wall of floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors leading out onto the adjacent patio that was also dug into the ground. The concept was based on the sunken courtyard, a below ground construction originally developed in China. With the addition of some climbing vines or other greenery to cover the far wall, it could make for a pleasant view from the bedrooms.
