From the outside, the home is a monolithic study in contrasts. The majority of the shell is an opaque white punctuated by just a few windows in basic shapes. But large, angular glass cutouts slice into the home, providing an intriguing glimpse at the tree-like wooden structures inside.

Y-shaped supports stretch from the pale pine floor all the way up to the roof to create a sort of artificial forest. Some are left open, while others contain solid panels that separate one ‘room’ from another.

The rooms are unconventional, as well: six platforms staggered through the large open space create lofts at varying levels. The columns provide a bit of separation between the living room, kitchen and dining area downstairs while maintaining a sense of connection to the entire home.

Stairs lead from the first floor to the split-level second floor, and ladders provide access to the lofts and terraced spaces above. Rethinking the standard of stacked floors and enclosed rooms gives the home a sense of kinetic energy, while the white-on-pine palette makes it a tranquil escape.

Set back protectively from the street, the garage forms the bottom level of the home; the living spaces cantilever above the driveway. A glass wall  gives the adjacent music room prime views of the Porsche. Climb the stairs and you’ll still be able to see it from the kitchen, and then through a glass cube floor in the living room.

Open all the way from the ground floor to a series of large skylights in the roof, the stairwell acts as an atrium, flooding the garage with natural light to show off the Porsche to its greatest potential. Each room in the house opens to this atrium so inhabitants can look straight down onto the car.

This wide-open plan even extends to the bathroom, where half-height walls retain a connection to the atrium, and large sliding glass doors open onto a roof terrace set away from the street-facing facade. This terrace, and the one below it that extends from the living room, is wrapped in a steel envelope that provides privacy from neighboring houses.

The upper levels of both volumes are planted with grass, flowers and small trees, providing a sunny spot to relax, while the lower level of the courtyard stays cool and shady. While the balconies and terraces off the bedrooms of the top floors face each other, they remain separated.

The lower courtyard is a communal dining space leading to a shared library, and the separate living and dining spaces, kitchens and guest rooms of each home. One unit features an additional study with its own private living room, and the other has a gym.

The green roofs, a number of water features and lots of wood and stone give the homes a feeling of connection with nature despite the city setting. Throughout the private spaces on the bottom floor, narrow courtyards open to the sky above placed beside expanses of glass let natural light flood in.