"Both those are big markets, but if you focus on them you end up with a very vertical growth plan, " Davison said.

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The lot's limited footprint necessitated a three-story vertical house with an inverted floor plan: The living room and kitchen are on the highest floor, to get the best light, and the bedrooms are down below.

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Another bizarre feature of the pagoda is that, because the building tapers, with each successive square floor-plan being smaller than the one below, none of the vertical pillars that carry the weight of the building is connected to its corresponding pillar above.

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