The house is organized around the four ancient elements: fire, water, earth and air, which converge at the center of the house. The scheme is a double courtyard produced from two inverted "L's" connected by a bar, This results in an "H" plan with onset courtyards. These offset courts generate a dynamic, non-axial movement and engage the symmetry of the "H" to develop the essential tension of the composition in plan. The non-axial circulation is used as an promenade architectural to reveal the site with oblique vistas which usually run through several interior and exterior spaces to the horizon. The house is developed as a dynamic frame for the continuity of man-made interior, exterior, and natural space. Finish materials of integrally colored plaster, stone, and teak run from inside to outside and reinforce the idea of the house as an abstracted continuation and elaboration of the natural landscape.

The double "L" allows the program to be divided into halves: the north "L" for the formal and public uses such as living room, office, library, and guest rooms, and the south "L" for the casual, day-to-day functions of bedrooms, kitchen, family room, breakfast room, and game room. The formal dining room and hearth are located in the connecting bar at the ground level as the functional and symbolic center, yet remain spatially fluid and transparent as a fulcrum of many lines-of-sight through the house.