Almost 50 percent of a 1948 home was salvaged to build a contemp…
Almost 50 percent of a 1948 home was salvaged to build a contemporary one.
Dror Baldinger
To hew to the size of neighboring homes, this house was kept mos…
To hew to the size of neighboring homes, this house was kept mostly to one story.
Dror Baldinger
With water at a premium, this pool serves as fountain, relflecti…
With water at a premium, this pool serves as fountain, relflecting pool, and waterwall.
Dror Baldinger
The home boasts lots of outdoor spaces for relaxation and contem…
The home boasts lots of outdoor spaces for relaxation and contemplation.
John Grable Architects
The site plan.
Dror Baldinger
Materials were salvaged whenever possible. Daylight and views we…
Materials were salvaged whenever possible. Daylight and views were maximized.
Dror Baldinger
Roof space is used, too. A spiral staircase leads up to the deck…
Roof space is used, too. A spiral staircase leads up to the deck.
Dror Baldinger
Wood was reused when possible, and new rooms were stepped down t…
Wood was reused when possible, and new rooms were stepped down the sloped site to preserve heritage oaks.
Dror Baldinger
The second level is small but efficient and includes space for e…
The second level is small but efficient and includes space for entertaining.
Dror Baldinger
With the lights on at night, the house looks like a lantern in t…
With the lights on at night, the house looks like a lantern in the landscape.
In one of San Antonio’s, oldest neighborhoods, architect and developer John Grable, FAIA, salvaged 45 percent of a 1948 house because of his client’s commitment to conservation and green building. At the same time, a contemporary home was the aim. The team developed a program that met the challenges posed by the site challenges and client requirments. They saved the original kitchen at the center of the house but remodeled it. They reused wood where possible, stepped new rooms down the slope to save its heritage oaks, and maintain the scale of the neighborhood. They showcased views through big modern glass panes, opened interior rooms to one another and the outdoors, and constructed a new small second level with party space and two outdoor entertainment areas—one with a wood deck with fireplace and a second with a green-roof deck and hot tub.
To respect the size of area homes yet make the house fresh looking, Grable’s firm kept the home mostly one story, and added a bit of edge with steel arbors and overhangs that shade big windows to reduce solar gain. Judges liked the home’s clean, simple palette inside, and outside, they appreciated all the spaces for the homeowners to relax outdoors. Grable calls this project his “Green Lantern. “With lights on at night,” he says, “it reads like a lantern in the landscape.”
On Site With water at a premium, pools need to serve multiple functions. Grable tucked one under a front-entry bridge that runs parallel with the façade and designed it for swimming, as a fountain, reflection pool, and grotto-style waterfall.
Barbara Ballinger (www.barbaraballinger.com) is a
freelance writer, author, and speaker who focuses on real estate, design, and family
business. Her most recent book is The Kitchen
Bible: Designing Your Perfect Culinary Space (Images
Publishing, 2014).