How RAD+ar uses attic volumes and light to reshape residential architecture in Attic Above Garden
Attic Above Garden by RAD+ar reimagines the traditional home by turning the attic into a central architectural identity. The residence features four distinct volumes hovering above a lush green base, creating a visual rhythm of solid forms and open negative space. Each mass is carefully positioned to form interstitial zones that allow natural light and landscape views to permeate the home’s interior. This design direction reinterprets conventional domestic layouts by eliminating rigid divisions, allowing for a seamless and adaptive use of space.
The upper floors present a flexible open-plan layout that does away with typical walls and corridors. Instead, furniture and built-in elements subtly define areas without confining them. This approach allows spaces to shift between private and shared, light-filled and shaded, enhancing comfort and usability. The natural flow encourages moments of solitude as much as connection, and offers the homeowners the ability to adapt the interior to changing needs over time.
Materials throughout the house are intentionally restrained and organic, forming a cohesive visual language. Monochromatic surfaces dominate, punctuated by the stainless-steel pantry that highlights the warm birch plywood ceiling. The attic itself is finished in a consistent light brown tone, which resonates with the outdoor vegetation visible through carefully oriented windows. The result is a balanced relationship between built structure and the natural environment.
Both staircases are subtly embedded within the layout, their presence marked only by shifts in tone and texture. Their understated integration maintains the sense of openness, while connecting all floors with minimal visual interruption. Elsewhere, the house features lighter tones and smooth finishes, with the exception of the bathroom, where a more vivid color palette adds an unexpected dimension.
The geometric strategy applied throughout the design is intentionally softened. By incorporating semi-geometric shapes and preserving existing wooden elements, the spatial layout becomes purposefully ambiguous. This allows the home to support a range of daily activities without strictly assigning function to form. Movable furniture and evolving user choices further enhance the house’s flexibility.
Designed for an architect couple seeking both retreat and openness, Attic Above Garden offers a serene living experience anchored in simplicity and thoughtful design. The emphasis on natural light, visual connectivity to greenery, and minimal intervention ensures that the home grows organically with its occupants. In this project, architectural restraint and spatial generosity coalesce, producing a dwelling that is deeply personal, yet universally resonant.
Photography by Ernest Theofilus, with courtesy of RAD+ar
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