Courtyard House I is made up of generous spaces for work and entertaining, all organized around a central courtyard. The building's four exterior corners are each carved inward to create overhangs reminiscent of a dolmen's table stone (if you're an architecture nerd) or porches (if you're a neighbor).

Inside, the major spaces flow from one to another with no doors. Instead, subtle differences in the threshold conditions between two adjacent spaces create variety and psychological separation of the spaces. You can be alone and together at the same time.

The central courtyard creates a sheltered outdoor space as well as something pretty nice to look at from the major spaces of the house.

Depending on where you face, you may can feel like you're in an enclosed room or part of a continuous donut of space.

The kitchen is generous, like a kitchen should be. High ceilings finished with douglas fir provide a casual warmth to push back against the long Michigan winter.

While the plan is all rectangular shapes, by rotating a few of them we created unique views and relationships to the courtyard and exterior.

—

• Images: Jason Keen