Feature

Stepped Floor Levels

Contemporary hillside residence stepping through planted terraces and stone retaining walls above a broad landscape view.
Journal Article

Building Into the Slope: Terraces, Retaining Walls, and Topographic Continuity

Sloped sites become most compelling when architecture follows the land instead of erasing it. This essay examines how sectional planning, terraces, retaining walls, drainage, circulation, planting, foundations, and pool placement can transform grade change into spatial richness while preserving access, comfort, durability, and a convincing relationship between house and terrain.