It’s been done before, of course, it’s a very scandinavian thing from what I’ve seen, which is actually pretty ironic: they have far less space, but they allow houses much more of it, relatively speaking. We (in Canada / America) have duplexes (or tri or quad plexes) but they’re probably a meter away from each other with tiny backyards and they go on for rows and and rows into infinite. And look at how much more land we have than they do. Interesting.

So, it’s a shame we don’t have architecture like this. We have the land for it, but our culture values different things. Sad things.

I love that courtyard. I love the trees. I love the glass and open common areas. I love the library and the Eames lounges. I love the bright colours and lofty bathroom windows. I love how much this is a symbiotic relation between two houses and not just one house split into two. I love how refreshingly non-American suburbia this is.

Work by MGP Architecture – who, like most architects, have a horribly designed website – and there are tons of photos over at The Contemporist. Awesome work.

Look! More awesome posts:

1. Twin Houses – William O’Brien Jr.
2. Private library – Andrew Berman Architects
3. Modernism Fail