Homes Featuring Courtyards｜Custom-built homes by architecture firms9Picks｜A Residence with an Interior Sky

The courtyard house is a dwelling type that reconciles privacy and openness by turning away from the exterior while drawing rich natural elements inward. A courtyard enclosed by the building becomes a private outdoor space that can be used with confidence and also functions as the core for daylighting and natural ventilation. Even on sites in dense urban areas or along busy streets, introducing a courtyard creates an environment where occupants can enjoy greenery and light without concern for external views. The architectural practice designs the courtyard’s size and position, its relationship to the building, and the planting scheme integrally, informed by the site geometry and surrounding context. Please explore examples of residences that possess a quiet, generous interior sky.

Responding to a site enclosed by residences on all sides, this dwelling brings light and greenery into a U‑shaped courtyard at its heart. Employing an east‑facing garden strategy to capture morning light from the east while securing daylighting from the south, the design achieves a sense of openness that belies its total floor area of 26 tsubo (approximately 86 m²). A deck level with the living room provides a pleasant, outward extension of the living space. Trees such as Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) and olive animate the seasons, completing a home in which the family can peacefully spend the years together.

A timber residence designed for a high‑density commercial site. The project incorporates strategies to secure natural ventilation and daylighting while protecting privacy. Meticulous attention has been paid to concealed elements, aiming to deliver an affordably priced home with high baseline building performance. The vertical surfaces of the double‑height atrium are to be lined with tens of thousands of volumes.

A single-storey timber house on a corner lot in Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture. The plan was revised to eliminate a second floor, utilizing the gable roof pitch to create sloped ceilings and an open spatial quality. The LDK is arranged in a staggered sequence around a courtyard, providing extended sightlines and diverse living zones. Private rooms are dispersed to maintain appropriate distances between family members. The interior is finished in a restrained black palette for a calm, hotel-like atmosphere.

The site is located on Yūzō Street, which runs from Chigasaki Station toward the sea. The dwelling is organized around a central courtyard; sago palms, crape myrtles, and white magnolias were transplanted from the garden of the main house, and a timber deck links the two household units. The building is arranged to enclose the courtyard, with perimeter glazing minimized to enhance security. The children’s rooms and the grandparents’ living room face one another across the courtyard. The courtyard is visible from throughout the house, allowing occupants to perceive family presence and movement, resulting in an engaging and pleasant family residence.

At first glance, Shift Block’s exterior does not read as a timber structure; the design makes the second floor appear slightly tilted and perched above the ground floor. A tatami-floored Japanese-style room is oriented toward a private garden enclosed by walls. A diagonal staircase mediates vertical circulation, so that movement between levels alters sightlines and the perception of space, offering a spatially dynamic, three‑dimensional living experience.

This residence accommodates a family of four living together with a dog and a cat. Prioritizing functionality and efficiency, the design employs a streamlined storage strategy and pursues a level of comfort that respects each family member’s private time. The building is conceived as a near single‑storey courtyard house with an internal courtyard, enabling barrier‑free living that is less susceptible to changes in the surrounding environment. The courtyard provides a secure area for pets to play, and integrated catwalks and a cat terrace facilitate comfortable coexistence between animals and occupants.

A residence located in a housing area of Ichinomiya. The site faces a busy road and a kindergarten to the east, so it was necessary to moderate external views and environmental influences. By placing a substantial wall on the east and limiting openings, while arranging a central courtyard and a small interior courtyard, the design screens views from the outside while introducing nature into the house. The exterior presents a calm, reserved presence, whereas the interior opens up to garden-enclosed spaces. Strategically placed eaves attenuate solar gain and rain, and the living room enjoys an undisturbed view of the private courtyard, offering a resort-like comfort.