The article discusses an innovative detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in Silicon Valley, designed for a multicultural family wishing to blend tradition and modernity. The unit serves multiple purposes: accommodating visiting grandparents, providing a space for their children, and eventually offering a serene retirement refuge. Due to limited space on their property, the design team employed creative strategies, including Shakkei, a Japanese technique that enhances connection with nature by framing external views. This approach not only maximizes openness but also helps the ADU feel like a seamless part of its environment, reflecting thoughtful, adaptive living.
Designed by Building Lab, this ADU embodies a flexible, multi-generational vision, merging tradition with contemporary design to create lasting, adaptable living spaces.
By building a detached unit rather than expanding their existing home, the couple gained design freedom and created a space that respects its constraints rather than battles them.
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