The site is a one acre, narrow slice of hillside just blocks above bustling South Congress Ave with tree top views of downtown. Rocks and native vegetation envelope the property, consistent with the casual, un-manicured character of its neighborhood.
Solving simultaneously the response to site and client: he, a musician who wanted a modern box with views to downtown and she, a yoga practicing mid-wife who wanted a barn with animals, the solution embraces and exploits the depth and slope of the land.
The Carpenter Hotel is a hidden oasis in one of the last pockets of Old Austin. It is a compound of buildings of different vintages surrounding a pecan tree-shaded courtyard and pool, and features a restaurant, café, event pavilion, and 93 guest rooms. It has a character that is unlike any other hotel in town.
The new hotel building is composed of an exposed rough-concrete frame, with infill walls made of locally-sourced clay masonry blocks and recycled steel oil-drilling pipe. Where trees had to be removed (in all cases these were damaged or otherwise compromised), the pecan wood was sawn into boards and used as a feature in the spaces. Materials are expressed as-is, and decorative effect, where it exists, is created through the spacing and patterning of basic elements, or by the direct application of signage. There is no attempt to mimic historic styles, nor is there an attempt to follow architectural trends. It is simple and direct, and its power comes from this straightforward expression.
Mark Odom Studio, subdivided this one-acre, heavily treed property in Austin, Texas to become four duplex lots, equaling eight individual residences along a shared drive.
Each duplex was designed around adjacent trees and desirable views, highlighting specific site amenities per unit. And while the building form and materials are similar across the project, each unit has its own unique characteristics that create individuality from building to building. Privacy and views have been carefully planned so that there’s no interruption when wanting to enjoy the interior and exterior of each home.
The Fakultat is a new bar in Odessa, which during the day works as a cafe. The premises of the former pharmacy, which is located in the educational district of Odessa, were reequipped for a new space, which could be transformed into various cultural events. The cafe is divided into 3 zones: a bar with a high landing, a low landing area with a terrace podium, as well as a shop area for records and books. In the evening, the cafe turns into a bar with the possibility of holding parties with DJs. The color spectrum of the project is made in bright colors, the flooring remains from previous owners of the premises.
The Treetops House, located on Austin’s west side, is a renovation and major expansion of a 1955 suburban ranch house. The original house (designed by Page Sullivan Page in the ‘50’s) was very typical for its time and place—a sprawling single-story, fairly nondescript affair that had small windows, and was clad entirely in Texas limestone. The challenge was to turn this into a modern house that was open, bright, and inviting, while not completely obliterating all traces of what had existed before. The new composition is one which is clearly of its time, but also respects and reflects the time and place in which the original house was created.
A balance of natural light, simple materials, and flows, are integrated with controlled views and atmospheric variation. This Central Austin house was remodeled in the spirit of the original Mid-Century Modern house, with an open plan, honest natural materials, and a direct connection to nature.
The design opens the house up not only by unifying the common areas, but also by literally raising the original roof. Through merely consolidating the service core and extending it as much as possible to the back, both public and private zones become more desirable. The kitchen is seen as part of the social space, opening up rather than part of the service core. This strategy allows a completely open planned public zone which allows a raised ceiling height with clerestory windows on the south, west and north sides. The raised ceiling maintains the original pitched roof geometry to stay harmoniously with the existing gabled roof in the private zone. The exposed roof structure helps to define each function and expanding beyond the face to connect to the outdoors while preserving privacy to the street, and the tongue and groove wood ceiling continues out to the soffit to visually dissolve the limits of enclosure. Furthermore, as an effort to bring the outdoors in, intimate patios are created for both public and private areas.
“Geometry in motion” is a paradigm in which the architectural language and tectonic manifestations of an object gain resonance and operate within the duality of presence and context. This type of poly-performative structure can be contextualized within the directives of Kinematic Viscosity, the analytics and mechanics of motion within points, (bodies) objects, & systems. The project examines this Kinematic play of horizontal fluctuations and the bifurcation in massing components. By creating a dynamic system that operates as a continuous fluid body, the plan of operation and multifunctional programs flow and overlap creating a hybrid composite of boundaries and tectonics. This allows both a separation and opportunities of intermingling for display and exhibition layout. The dual function of the architecture is to display art and various fields of design objects for the greater education of design appreciation, in its methods, technique, and meaning. As a project of speculation on growing cities and dynamic architecture, this concept proposal situates itself within a park setting of Houston, Texas. As an urban city like Houston continuously grows and expands its museums and art culture, the proposal is to accommodate the growing and emergent design youth as a place to engage the discipline of production and aesthetics.
A bright and welcoming space established by full height glass walls envelope the Houndstooth Coffee interior. An expansive U-shaped bar with split capabilities allows it to work as a full-service coffee bar during the day and cocktail bar in the evenings. The form and materiality of the bar defines and directs its uses. The quartz monoblock to the east is thoughtfully carved to receive customers and equipment while the opposite high bar is a white oak cantilevered surface. Above the bar is a sculptural white volume clad in alder slats that activates the space and intuitively directs customers from entry points on opposite ends of the storefront to point of service while concealing mechanical systems. The form, likened to a ship in a bottle, brings mass and focus to the voluminous interior. The architectural horizontality is complemented and balanced by vertically oriented and textured materials that respond to functional needs of durability and acoustic control.
The new headquarters for Civitas Capital Group occupies 22,000 square feet on the eighth floor of One Arts Plaza in Dallas’ Arts District. Civitas is a youthful investment group and they wanted a well-appointed office that represents their approach as creative thinkers and responsible stewards of client investments.
Our aesthetically astute clients bought a 1980’s Bud Oglesby designed townhouse with the intention of renovating it for themselves and their growing art collection while staying true to the original design. The project had a sophisticated section so our goal was to modernize the spaces in both use and technology while also rectifying awkward and outdated spatial relationships.
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