Courtyard House
Houses organised around an open courtyard, covering how enclosed outdoor space shapes light, privacy, climate response and daily life.
A courtyard house arranges its rooms around a central open space, using the enclosed court as a source of daylight, ventilation and private outdoor living. The typology appears across climates and eras, from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dwellings to contemporary urban infill and rural sites.Community work on this topic examines how the courtyard is set within dense city blocks, forest edges, prairies and existing masonry shells, and how plan geometry, wall height and material choices control openness toward the street. Projects range from summer houses and multi-generational homes to compact urban carvings on constrained lots.
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Earth Made: Rammed Earth Housing in Accra Organised Around an Old African Courtyard
A shortlisted proposal stacks four apartment types around a planted courtyard, letting earthen walls and long openings do the cooling work.
Ona i Ona Wraps a Multi-Generational Summer House Around a Hexagonal Courtyard in Paralimni, Cyprus
In Paralimni, Cyprus, The Avlí Houses rework the island's courtyard house type into a stucco summer retreat where family life gathers at a round pool.
Iterare Arquitectos Nests a New White House Inside an Old Brick Shell on a Torrefiel Corner in Valencia
In Valencia's working-class Torrefiel, Casa Nido keeps a humble brick facade and its stucco cornice, then grows a courtyard house inside and above it.
Pereira Miguel Arquitectos Scatters a Concrete Courtyard House Along a Pine Forest Edge in Grândola
In Grândola, Portugal, the Muda L11 House splits into board-formed concrete pavilions linked by timber boardwalks between pine woods and a stream.
