Despite its small building footprint of 700sf and tight government restrictions on the building height and design, this 3 storey New Territories Exempted House (or village house in colloquial terms) appears to be much more spacious by a clever manipulation of split floor levels, window and skylight placement, and an interior open glass, metal land wood stairs. It even comfortably accommodates a grand piano on the main floor. The thickened external concrete walls act both as loadbearing support and extra thermal mass to moderate indoor temperature on this lovely seaside site. Window sizes are optimized to capture the sea view while minimizing solar heat gain. All millworks are custom-designed to best utilize space available. The exterior façade design is a modern interpretation of the colonial style architecture that makes reference to Hong Kong’s unique history and new future. Custom designed railings give an additional dimension and sophistication to the simple and elegant façade design