Site + Form
Connecting to a Site
When architects begin to design a home, the site is not just a backdrop—it is an active participant in the process. The topography, climate, materials, culture, and even the surrounding vegetation all impact the architecture that eventually emerges. This relationship between a building’s form and the land it occupies is more than just functional; it is a composition in which the home and its environment can work together seamlessly, creating a harmonious whole. A Rooted Residential Architecture, when engaged with its site, becomes an extension of it—an embodied response to the forces at play within the landscape.
Climate and Light
When designing a building, the relationship between form and site is crucial. Architects shape the massing to respond to environmental conditions: courtyards create microclimates, compact forms retain heat in cold climates, and strategic layouts—like placing the short sides of a building to face east and west—help minimize harsh solar exposure. In warmer climates, overhangs and wind-capturing designs are key to natural cooling. The overall form, whether compact or expansive, can respond to both the climate and the site’s natural features, making the building feel like an organic extension of its environment and promoting sustainability.
Details complement form in adapting a massing to its surroundings. Shading devices like overhangs, vertical shades, and perforated or slatted panels can filter light and balance temperature differences while adding texture and visual interest. Skylights, light shelves, and light wells introduce natural light into deeper spaces, allowing for an increase in ambient lighting and reducing energy loads associated with overhead lighting. A building’s massing and its further detailing can create a building that isn’t just designed for the site but is a part of it.
Feldman Architects, Viewridge Residence, Bliss Landscape Architecture, Photographed by Adam Rouse
Feldman Architects, Viewridge Residence, Bliss Landscape Architecture, Photographed by Adam Rouse
Feldman Architects’ View Ridge Residence is situated in the naturally rich environment of San Mateo, California. The design harnesses overhangs, skylights, and abundant site vegetation. The building allows light to spill on the walls of the hallway below while using Trees on other parts of the site to shade and shelter the home from the heat.
Villa Burgerkraan Addition by Klaas Ontwerpen, photography by TUDOR
Villa Burgerkraan Addition by Klaas Ontwerpen, photography by TUDOR
Villa Burgerkraan Addition by Klaas Ontwerpen, photography by TUDOR
The Villa Burgerkraan Addition by Klaas Ontwerpen demonstrates a strong relationship between the interior and exterior through its large spans of operable glass by Orama Minimal Frames, featuring corner glass that opens up two sides of the addition and connects it with the terrace and waterfront beyond. This allows for the air cooled by the waterside to flow into the building. Furthermore, it features long, louvered skylights, allowing for soft interior daylighting and playful shadows to artfully paint the interiors.
Casa NoFe / Equipo de Arquitectura, Photography by Federico Cairoli
Casa NoFe / Equipo de Arquitectura, Photography by Federico Cairoli
Casa No Fe by Equipo de Arquitectura is another example of interacting with the local climate through massing and detailing. With the hinged panels at the second-story glass, the Casa No Fe creates an interactive relationship with the sun, acting as vertical shades when open and blackout shades when closed. Paired with the roof overhang, the home mitigates excessive heat gain through its thoughtful detailing. Furthermore, the patterned brick site walls allow for a semi-transparent courtyard enclosure allowing wind and light to pass through while maintaining a sense of privacy for the site.
Programming and Materiality
The relationship between interior and exterior spaces is another crucial consideration in plan development. Site planning allows an architect to thoughtfully integrate exterior spaces, connecting outdoor infrastructure to indoor programs. For instance, homes with pool areas may want strategically placed pass-through kitchen windows and exterior access to Pool powder rooms for changing and showering. Being intentional with how the architecture and site connect can facilitate programming between the two realms and inspire the actions of its users.
Beyond programming, finishes used throughout a home can echo natural surroundings, helping the building feel rooted in the site. Regional materials foster a sense of place. Pulling tones and textures from a site, onto its landscape, and through the interiors creates a sense of continuity and connection to the land a building sits on.
Blue Lagoon, Basalt Architects, photographed by Ragnar Th Sigurðsson
The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon by Basalt Architects in Iceland is a powerful example of architecture that not only embraces the landscape but is also shaped by it. The site’s volcanic rocks are harnessed to create intimate, natural spaces that both shelter and expose the structure to the surrounding terrain. The result is a building that feels more like a part of the land than something built upon it. The local lava rock is used as aggregate on the flat roofs. The exterior poolside programs tie into the interiors directly with locker rooms, showers, and bathrooms adjacent to the larger pools, bar stools are provided inside the pool at the outside of the bar building’s pass-through window counters, and exterior tables by the pool make the restaurant accessible to those bathing.
Espacio Kaab by Di Frenna Arquitectos, Photography by Lorena Darquea
Espacio Kaab by Di Frenna Arquitectos, Photography by Lorena Darquea
Espacio Kaab by Di Frenna Arquitectos, Photography by Lorena Darquea
Espacio Kaab by Di Frenna Arquitectos, Photography by Lorena Darquea
Another exemplary project is Espacio Kaab by Di Frenna Arquitectos. Its cascading terraces provide a series of moments in the landscape to complement the interior program. The use of rammed earth walls and boulder stonework throughout the home allows it to rise humbly from its foundation while visually connecting it back to its site. The design has a strong sense of place and demonstrates a seamless relationship with the natural world around it, encouraging its inhabitants to explore it.
Vantage and Enclosure
How a building relates to its surrounding views can dramatically affect its spatial experience. Often, architects will design a home to respond to the site’s most compelling vistas—whether those are distant mountain ranges, tranquil waters, or lush gardens. A careful study of sightlines can lead to the creation of external spaces that extend the home’s footprint into the natural world, inviting both expansive views and private, intimate moments. Choosing to open up to certain parts of the site and create barriers between others with the building’s enclosure can also further guide a sequence of spaces and the experiences within them.
Quintessa Estate Winery Pavilions by Walker Warner Architects, Photographs by Matthew Millman
Quintessa Estate Winery Pavilions by Walker Warner Architects, Photographs by Matthew Millman
Extending a building’s exterior walls out into the landscape, creating terraces, and providing operable walls in the direction of a view can allow a space to frame vantage points while still creating a sense of enclosure or intimacy when needed. For instance, the Quintessa Estate Winery Pavilions by Walker Warner Architects in Napa Valley utilizes carefully placed walls and pavilions to direct views toward the vineyard and surrounding hills, though introducing operable elements to respond to the occupant’s needs at the time of use. The pavilions create a tactile relationship with the landscape—enhancing the visitor’s experience of the land through architecture.
Lookout House by Faulkner Architects, Photography By: Joe Fletcher, Claudia Kappl-Joy
Lookout House by Faulkner Architects, Photography By: Joe Fletcher, Claudia Kappl-Joy
Lookout House by Faulkner Architects, Photography By: Joe Fletcher, Claudia Kappl-Joy
Another intriguing example of a building’s response to its surrounding views through its enclosure is Lookout House by Faulkner Architects, which cleverly uses its elevated position to offer panoramic views of its surroundings. The building wraps around its site to create both a sense of intimacy and an expansive connection to the surrounding landscape. Large spans of glass, decks, and semi-enclosed ground-level terraces create unique moments pulling the eye toward the snow-capped mountains beyond while intentional enclosure allows the the exterior program to match the level of intimacy their adjacent interiors call for. Faulkner further interacts with the landscape through form and color, tinting select windows in Red, known to improve contrast and alleviate light sensitivity for occupants.
That’s it for now
In each of these projects, we see the profound impact a site can have on the resultant form of a building. The relationship between architecture and its landscape is not merely a matter of aesthetics or convenience; it is a dialogue that shapes the very way a building is experienced. Architecture can feel like a natural extension of its site—engaging with the landscape, the views, and the environment in a way that enhances the experience of both the building and its inhabitants. From interacting with light, materiality, enclosure, and the landscape beyond, there are opportunities that arise out of seeing architecture as a piece of a larger whole. The mentioned above explores the dynamic relationship between a building and its surroundings.
Cited Works
Faulkner, Greg. "Lookout House." Faulkner Architects Website, 2021, https://faulknerarchitects.com/lookouthouse.
Gonzalez, Alfredo. "Feldman Architecture reworks the Viewridge residence to connect with nature in San Mateo, California." Amazing Architecture. Published April 2025, https://amazingarchitecture.com/houses/feldman-architecture-reworks-the-viewridge-residence-to-connect-with-nature-in-san-mateo-california.
Ibrahim, Naser Nader “Walker Warner Architects designs Quintessa Estate Winery Pavilions, Napa Valley, California" Amazing Architecture, 2022,
https://amazingarchitecture.com/pavilion/walker-warner-architects-designs-quintessa-estate-winery-pavilions-napa-valley-californiaMuller, Matia Di Frenna. “Espacio Kaab by Di Frenna Arquitectos”. Di Frenna Website. 2021. https://difrennaarquitectos.com/espacio-kaab/
Pintos, Paula. “Casa NoFe / Equipo de Arquitectura” ArchDaily, 2022, https://www.archdaily.cl/cl/1018771/casa-nofe-equipo-de-arquitectura/669068742249c07f50bd86c4-casa-nofe-equipo-de-arquitectura-foto.
Pintos, Paula. “The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland / BASALT Architects”, ArchDaily, July 22, 2022, https://www.archdaily.com/985770/the-retreat-at-blue-lagoon-iceland-basalt-architects
Tudor. "Villa Burgerkraan, Klaas Ontwerpen", Architonic, https://www.architonic.com/en/project/orama-minimal-frames-villa-burgerkraan/20146678.
