Architect Kevin Alter gutted this duplex and converted it into a two-level modernized single-family home, but he needed a means of egress to the second story that would not disrupt the flow of light. His solution is an open-riser metal staircase with a landing “box” for shoe storage. “We needed to find a light way to get up to the second floor, so we used steel stringers with ipe treads,” he says. Glass railing panels under a sculptural handrail further permit the daylight that filters into the space through a large existing steel casement window.

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Category: Detail
Entrant/Architect: Alterstudio Architects, Austin, Texas
Builder: Melde Specialty Construction, Austin

Learn more about markets featured in this article: Austin, TX.