The design seeks to provide the 60sqm terrace house with elements it lacked previously: an outdoor garden, replacing the rear courtyard, and the sensation of openness beyond two walls spaced 3.4m apart.  The entire ground floor is conceived as an outdoor space, featuring a new courtyard with a sliding panel that parallels the stairs, enabling a fully open space.  The inside-out relationship is intentionally blurred through visual continuity, such as floor pebbles casting a frameless full-height glass, with a floating bench paying homage to Donovan Hill's 'D House.'

Elements such as metal chains and roller blinds are borrowed from the Spanish outdoor vernacular architecture.  This references the childhood and cultural background of the client and aligns with Gaston Bachelard’s phenomenology of space. The key and most complex element, the operable courtyard, integrates a high-end system of custom-designed bifold doors and a sliding panel.  Hung from hidden steel and LVL beams, the system reveals a thinned roof, reminiscent of James Turrell's perspective works, unveiling another neighbouring tree inside the house.  This is purposely the most expensive and engineered component since it has a crucial role in achieving the project's goals.

The project emphasizes reusing materials and extending life span of the preexisting elements whenever possible.  This sustainable approach responds to the project brief by introducing alternative solutions.  For example, achieving the requested 'concrete look' was accomplished through the use of fibre cement panels for ceilings and cement wall renderings.  This not only fulfilled the aesthetic requirement but also contributed to repairing and fortifying the original structure ensuring its longevity for another century.