The riverside site of this Austin, Texas, guesthouse had plenty going for it: lush greenery, water views, and an internal lagoon. But wetlands restrictions and the owners' desire to disturb as little vegetation as possible meant the only way to build was to go up. The three-story structure begins its ascent 20 feet above the flood plain, where it gains a lofty perspective on the surrounding water and landscape. The vertical plan provided an “opportunity to have a glass box to capture views of the lagoon and lake,” says architect Miguel Rivera.
The judges were fascinated with “the beautiful contrast” of the glass box with the structure that anchors it on the west face. That copper-sheathed structure shields the interior from the hot sun and takes its unusual shape from the functions it contains—the stairs, baths, and closets. These minor spaces receive daylight though small windows that punctuate horizontal bands of copper that run across the west face. “That solid mass allows the transparent one to exist,” observed one judge.
To make the guesthouse low-maintenance and storm- and vandal-resistant, the architects speced an operable aluminum shutter system made in Spain to cover the glass box. The shutters can be manually opened and closed like blinds and lifted up to create overhangs that shades the walls of operable steel windows. “You can have multiple combinations of opened and closed shades depending on privacy and sun,” Rivera explains. When the house is not in use, the closed shutters protect the glass, and the air space between the shutters and the glass keeps the heat load outside. “The movement of that façade is wonderful,” said one judge. “It's such an exciting piece of architecture.”
Project Credits
Entrant/Architect: Miró Rivera Architects, Austin, Texas
Builder: Don Crowell Inc., Austin
Living space: 2,500 square feet
Site: 2 acres
Construction cost: Withheld
Photographer: Paul Finkel
