
Aperture House

The Aperture House is an iconic home located in San Jose, California. Designed to highlight both natural and modern elements, the building reflects the climate and individualistic style of North California.
The Aperture House’s massing concept is created from three basic shapes, using a staggered effect between each layer to maintain a sense of structure, transparency and authenticity.
As seen in the Concept Diagram, the blocks are placed to create an L-shaped empty space that will serve as a window and balcony for each floor. The L-shaped balcony decreases in size between the floors, creating a sense of dynamism and stability. For the third step, the surfaces separating the floors are scaled up, creating cover for the balcony but also highlighting the separation between each floor.
Concept Diagram

Floor Plans



The site plan of the Aperture house is one that incorporates both natural and minimalistic forms, allowing for a seamless blend between design and nature.
The building is laid on a courtyard of concrete pavement, designed with no sharp angles and straight edges but rather, circular splines and arcs. Interact-able structures, such as circular benches and a play structure, create spaces of gathering for inhabitants and visitors.
Site Plan




The differences in overlapping between the floors becomes integral to the house’s structure. The third level’s extruding floor blends into the second level’s jutting ceiling, and so on.
Photorealistic Renderings
















House Walkthrough
Solar Studies


