This is the hillside OLS House by J. Mayer H. Architects. With a composition of filleted corners and sweeping curves it is intended to maximize landscape views in an otherwise suburban area. A deep, recessed balcony characterizes the sinuous concrete form and protects the home from solar heat gain thereby continuing an environmentally friendly building system that includes weathered zinc and solar panels. Intended to house a family of four the building’s elevated ground floor is buried into the hillside. The open plan first level contains the gathering spaces: living, dining and kitchen areas are enveloped by floor to ceiling glazing, allowing natural light to bounce off the curved walls. The full-height windows provide unobstructed views of the valley and garden. Upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms are connected to the lower storeys by a large central staircase, its steps surrounded by folded, curved planes. Slats and anti-glare sheeting combine with industrial materials like screed to create an environmentally conscious architecture that at once invites the landscape to its abstracted interior.
