Westrock Drive House in Austin, Texas by TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Article source: TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

This house addition — approximately 1100 SF of new space — stretches and grows out of an existing low-slung, 1950’s ranch house with a view of the Barton Creek Greenbelt in the Barton Hills neighborhood in Austin, Texas. A vertical tower of interwoven levels, the design weaves together two home offices, as well as a family living room, reading room, play loft, and roof deck for two creative tech professionals and their young child.

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

• Architects: TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE
• Project: Westrock Drive House
• Location: Austin, Texas, USA
• Software used: ArchiCAD

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

The owners asked us to create a building addition incorporating very specific living, work and play spaces — spaces that hadn’t been available to the owners in the original house. With their limited $300K budget, they didn’t ask us to provide an expanded kitchen, master bedroom or bathrooms – spaces more commonly requested from our clients. Instead they asked for different types of shared family spaces, connected work spaces, and quiet personal spaces that connected the house to its special site. The site is adjacent to a significant watershed and green belt running through Austin.

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Our solution was to put the new spaces in a narrow tower. Where the 1950’s ranch house stretches one low story across the lot, the slender addition stretches one-room wide up to the panoramic Greenbelt view. It takes its scale, positioning and massing from the original house while it’s envelope flexes from level to level, nesting the spaces into the surrounding trees and creating carefully-framed views.

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

We kept expensive cabinetry to a minimum, and instead designed a network of exposed framing and digitally-fabricated plywood shapes — work-surfaces, benches, shelves and railings – to stich the 5 vertically-staggered levels of program.  With these lighter, plywood elements, we stitched the kitchen and dining of the existing house to the new living area, the living to her office, and her office to his. The levels continue up to a reading/ view space, a kids’ playroom/ sleeping loft, and finally to a rooftop deck.

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Image Courtesy © TOM HURT ARCHITECTURE

Tags: Texas, USA

Categories: ArchiCAD, House, Residential

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