For an architect designing holistically, every site presents its own set of challenges. Some are immediately apparent; others reveal themselves slowly through the design process.
A large, open site may appear to offer complete freedom, while a steep escarpment or narrow coastal block can seem inherently complex. More choice does not necessarily make the design solution easier. Often, a site’s particular constraints encourage the most thoughtful and individual response.
Boundary setbacks, height controls, floor space ratios and the relationship between the home and its surrounding environment all begin to establish the parameters within which the architecture can emerge.
At Cadence & Co, we see these parameters as opportunities for creative solutions. The best split-level home designs respond to the land rather than working against it—allowing architecture, interiors and landscape to come together as one.
The result should be more than a compliant design solution. It should be a home with a sense of ease, belonging and permanence; one that supports the way its owners want to live today while remaining relevant for generations to come.
Where to place a house
The answer to “where should the house go?” is rarely as simple as choosing the highest point of the site or orienting everything towards a singular view.
Before a line is drawn, we spend time understanding the land and the conditions that will ultimately shape the home.
Where does the morning light arrive, and how does it move throughout the day? Which outlooks deserve to be celebrated, and which should be deliberately concealed? Where can we invite a cooling breeze into the home, or create protection from prevailing weather? How does the landscape naturally suggest places for arrival, retreat, gathering and privacy?
These considerations are continually tested against one another throughout the architectural design process.
Our Principal Architect, Michael Kilkeary, likens it to watching his Jack Russell track a ball through a park—moving back and forth, narrowing the search until eventually everything aligns.
Designing a home can follow a similar rhythm. We investigate, test and refine until the relationship between site, architecture and client begins to feel inevitable.
Whether the eventual solution is a split-level house plan, a series of interconnected pavilions or another architectural response entirely, the fundamentals remain the same.
Designing the journey through the home
Once the position of the home begins to emerge, our focus moves beyond where the building sits to how it will be experienced.
Arrival matters.
The approach from the street or landscape, the transition through the entry and the sequence of spaces beyond should feel intuitive, but never predictable. A beautifully considered home reveals itself gradually.
We think about how someone will first encounter the architecture; where their eye will naturally be drawn; when a landscape, artwork or distant view might be revealed; and how one space should lead naturally into another.
This is particularly important in split level home designs, where changing floor levels have the potential to create a rich sequence of experiences rather than simply solving a change in topography.
Each decision becomes part of a larger set of relationships: between the home and its outlook; between architecture and climate; between privacy and connection; between one room and the next; and, most importantly, between the architecture and the people who will live within it.
Budget is part of this conversation too. So are the values, rituals and ambitions of our clients, and the way their lives may evolve over time.
The success of the home lies in bringing all of these elements together with clarity.
Designing for steep slopes and coastal homes
For us, the design journey begins by breaking the design down into rooms and examining the purpose and character of each. And remember, rooms may be internal spaces or external courtyards. Sometimes, everything is a room, and we design ‘rooms’ that:
- Create a sense of experience as we move through them
- Offer moments of interest and/or reason to pause. This could be a view or a beautiful piece of art. These are resolved spaces, yet they offer teases and experiences within the greater purpose of the home
- Cultivate a sense of orientation and progress. Especially in large, contemporary-style, split-level, and heavily engineered homes, creating sightlines to landmarks, courtyards, and gardens not only connects the viewer to nature and the environment but also serves as a navigational aid, allowing us to move through the spaces with ease and comfort.
When these kinds of considerations inform the design of a home, we move through its spaces as we move through a timeless European city – we look, seek and navigate intuitively, and our mind and senses are free to experience the beauty of what we discover.
We welcome anyone working on a challenging home site to get in touch to discuss their project and the solutions Cadence & Co can provide.
Finding opportunity in a challenging site
A steep, constrained or otherwise complex block does not need to compromise the quality of a home.
Quite often, the opposite is true.
When architecture responds carefully to its context, the characteristics that initially appear most challenging can become the qualities that give a home its identity.
A change in level can create extraordinary spatial relationships. A difficult orientation can encourage the introduction of courtyards and protected outdoor spaces. A constrained footprint can lead to greater precision and restraint.
The objective is not to impose a predetermined idea onto the land, but to understand what the site is asking of the architecture.
This is where thoughtful split level home design becomes particularly powerful: allowing the home to settle into its landscape, work intelligently with its constraints and create spaces that feel deeply connected to place.
If you are considering a home on a steep, coastal or otherwise challenging site, Cadence & Co brings architecture, interiors, construction and landscape together to explore what is possible.