Dramatic sweeping vistas are a main selling point for many properties. Whether it?s a modest home or a prestigious office space, every snippet of ocean or skyline it offers is reason enough to pay just a little more for it. Seldom mentioned is the fact that this feature often compromises privacy, too.

Nilsson Pflugfelder’s latest design, entitled “House R,” solves that problem ? and offers so much more. Situated in the center of Cambridge, England, and encircled by homes with lush Victorian gardens and terraces, this prefabricated wooden house boasts windows all around its striated timber facades, providing its inhabitants with dramatic vistas without compromising their sense of seclusion. Its designers achieved this effect by determining the heights of the surrounding buildings, their respective proximities to the home, and the way the home would be viewed from their windows ahead of time.
Other than its innovative window and lot placement, many of House R’s design components are actually quite traditional. For instance, the front door opens into a large, airy lobby, which itself offers easy access to the kitchen, dining, and lounge areas. The upper floor houses bathrooms, storage space, a study, and bedrooms, with a staircase ascending through a double-height void in the center of the home. A curved inner wall illuminated by a skylight in the uppermost ceiling adds even more visual intrigue to the interiors. 
House R’s positioning on its l...