The development consists of 60 L-shaped houses based upon the design of traditional Danish farmhouses with central courtyards and those of Chinese and Islamic dwellings.

[1] The design of the Kingo Houses was based on a competition project Utzon had developed for the south of Sweden in 1953.

Although he did not obtain a commission in Sweden, the mayor of Helsingør liked his idea and provided land for Utzon to realize his project.

[3] The development is based on Utzon's additive approach, starting modestly with one unit and proceeding from there, taking into account the lie of the land and the surroundings.

Utzon set the exact amount of bricks to be used for the courtyard walls but he told the bricklayers they should build each house individually, catering for privacy, shade, view and enclosure.