Architect: Morphosis
Why I chose this house:
The first house I've chosen is the Blades Residents in Santa Barbara, California, USA. This house was designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis architects and to me demonstrates an interlocking of outdoor and indoor spaces. The building uses complex geometry to elevate and extrude the building into its surrounding environment. This fuses the building with its surroundings thus blurring the dialect of in and outside space.
Environmental filter:
As an environmental flitter the Blades Residents is an occasion to acti
vate land surface and respond to a natural site on 
a scale that makes the building very distinct (Morphopedia, 2010). The building design allows for small windows and balconies at selected points these give framed views of the surrounding landscape, allowing the user to be outside the house while still being contained within. This outside while still contained within can also be found within the surrounding landscape, as Mayne has created overhanging structures that again blur the lines between in and out. In this case though it's the building being taken out into the landscape rather than nature being pulled within.
Container of human activities:
As the Blades Residents was designed around being a residential address it has to contain t
he day to day life of its users. The building has been designed to allow spaces to flow from one another; this allows a seamless transition throughout the 
building no matter the activity. The building was designed to not be a series of distinct rooms but instead an overlapping of zones. Other than day to day life and work activities the Blades Residents also boasts a gallery which Morphopedia (2010) described as, "a modest statement deferring to the character of the neighbourhood."
Delightful experience:
To create a delightful experience within the building Mayne uses surfaces that penetrate other surfaces in turn this creates a flow of spaces throughout the building. Both the spatial co
mplexity and mix of smooth and rough surfaces make for a dramatic experience as the building is constantly appealing to the s
enses (A Weekly Dose of Architecture, 2010). To create an environment where the user feels protected Mayne uses a curved roof shape which gives the impression of the building burrowing into the earth. This teamed up with many natural light and panorama sources creates a feeling of warmth and refuge within thus creating an environment that enlightens users (Morphopedia, 2010).
vate land surface and respond to a natural site on 
a scale that makes the building very distinct (Morphopedia, 2010). The building design allows for small windows and balconies at selected points these give framed views of the surrounding landscape, allowing the user to be outside the house while still being contained within. This outside while still contained within can also be found within the surrounding landscape, as Mayne has created overhanging structures that again blur the lines between in and out. In this case though it's the building being taken out into the landscape rather than nature being pulled within.Container of human activities:
As the Blades Residents was designed around being a residential address it has to contain t
he day to day life of its users. The building has been designed to allow spaces to flow from one another; this allows a seamless transition throughout the 
building no matter the activity. The building was designed to not be a series of distinct rooms but instead an overlapping of zones. Other than day to day life and work activities the Blades Residents also boasts a gallery which Morphopedia (2010) described as, "a modest statement deferring to the character of the neighbourhood."Delightful experience:
To create a delightful experience within the building Mayne uses surfaces that penetrate other surfaces in turn this creates a flow of spaces throughout the building. Both the spatial co
mplexity and mix of smooth and rough surfaces make for a dramatic experience as the building is constantly appealing to the s
enses (A Weekly Dose of Architecture, 2010). To create an environment where the user feels protected Mayne uses a curved roof shape which gives the impression of the building burrowing into the earth. This teamed up with many natural light and panorama sources creates a feeling of warmth and refuge within thus creating an environment that enlightens users (Morphopedia, 2010). 
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