The brief
The site fell away sharply toward a valley view. Rather than flatten it, we let the house echelon down the slope — each level stepping back from the one below to catch the view and the light.
The move
The stepped section does three things at once: it grounds the house in the topography, it gives every room a terrace, and it lets daylight step down through the plan. Circulation follows the land, so arriving home feels like a gentle descent into the view.
The outcome
The family tells us they notice the light differently on every level — exactly the calm we hoped for. Echelons remains one of our clearest demonstrations that section, not decoration, is where a house finds its character.