Courtyard House, Location: Somers Victoria Australia, Architect: Rowan Opat .Evolving from the notion of a series of outbuildings on a greenfi eld site, principles of passive solar design have informed this courtyard house. The northern eaves respond directly to shading becoming shallower in proportion to the depth of space as experienced in the square plan. As the dominant designed area, on this hectare site, the courtyard both surrounds and is surrounded by the house, creating a contained space within an otherwise semi-rural block.