Project Details
- Project Name
- South 5th Residence
- Architect
- Alterstudio Architecture
- Project Types
- Single Family
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Size
- 2,990 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2017
- Shared by
- Hanley Wood
- Project Status
- Built
2018 Builder's Choice & Custom Home Design Awards
Custom Home, Less Than 5,000 Square Feet, Merit
Fitting right into the array of eclectic bungalows that line the streets of Austin’s artistic Bouldin Creek neighborhood, the architecture of the South 5th Residence, designed by local firm Alterstudio Architecture, is a sculptural marvel in its own right; its glass box frame, accentuated by welded steel and tumbled limestone, unfolds effortlessly from a central courtyard shaded by a majestic, 25-foot-tall Durand oak.
Siting the 2,990-square-foot home on the verdant lot was no easy feat: It sits on a 50-foot-wide infill lot, so the architects conceptualized a three-story volume that deftly negotiates the city’s zoning regulations—as well as the oak’s critical root zone—by suspending the main living space on two piers that nimbly avoid the tree’s roots. Visitors are greeted by a custom, slender gabion wall that gives way to evergreen plantings, and a perforated Corten corrugated screen to the south, designed to provide both privacy and animation to the home’s front façade.
Stepping into the “transparent” second-floor living room—which hovers over the sloping terrain below—a panoramic vista of the city’s valley is immediately visible, invigorating the interiors with greenery from the landscape. More lush views are framed by custom, site-glazed window walls fitted with rift-sawn white oak and steel, which are paired with ventilator doors to draw breezes throughout the house. Concrete, mill-finished steel, and raw stucco are harmoniously juxtaposed throughout the space. Downstairs, a second living area in the rear of the house forms an intimate enclave that overlooks that tree canopy.
The master suite, perched on the third floor, captures sunlight and views of Lake Austin through its large windows. The house’s architecture allows its inhabitants to move easily between the indoors and out, and between intimate nooks and gathering spaces to create the sense of living in a private retreat in the heart of one of the country’s most dynamic cities.—L.D.
"There’s a little bit of a quirkiness to this one that I enjoy. It’s not entirely predictable.” — Juror Meg Graham
2017 Residential Architect Design Awards
Custom Home Less Than 3,000 Square Feet | Award
A steeply sloped Austin, Texas, infill site—complete with an existing 25-foot-tall rare Oak tree—is not the easiest place to build a single-family home, but easy has never been a prerequisite for local firm Alterstudio Architecture. For the 2,990-square-foot South 5th Residence, the team created a sculptural blind façade, tucked behind a delicate 4-inch-wide gabion wall at the street, that gives way to a glazed, light-filled three-story interior that prioritizes views.
To preserve the Oak tree’s root system, regular foundations were not an option, so the designers created a scheme where the living area is perched on two piers that tread lightly on the site. The overall ensemble caught the interest of the jury, especially Katherine Chia, who noted that “the use of materials is really beautiful, and I think that the house is shaped by really clear composition. I thought it was really successful in section as well.”
In addition to the suspended living room, the main level contains a kitchen and dining area, as well as a media room and guest bedroom, with an additional two bedrooms upstairs (including a master suite with panoramic views to Lake Austin), and a family room, gym, and deck on the basement level. Large site-glazed window walls—framed in rift-sawn oak—and ventilator doors throughout draw daylight and breezes through the house, and contrast with concrete and mill-finished steel surfaces. “I think this is a beautifully detailed and composed project, and it has a very well thought through proportional strategy as well,” R. Michael Graham said. —K.G.
Visit ARCHITECT to see the rest of the winners of the 2017 Residential Architect Design Awards.
Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
In the heart of the city and on a 50’ wide infill lot, the South 5th Street Residence is delineated as a three-story volume that—with an open living room suspended on two piers— deftly negotiates the city of Austin’s zoning regulations and the Oak’s critical root zone, nimbly avoiding tree roots. The house slips nonchalantly into the array of eclectic bungalows that line the streets of Austin’s Bouldin neighborhood. Here, a rare 25" Durand Oak and an unexpectedly steep escarpment create a powerful circumstance for a house that emphasizes view and a dynamic spatial sequence, while at the same time provide an abstract backdrop for the serendipity of light and circumstance. The visitor arrives into a verdant courtyard under the majestic Durand Oak. A thin, 4” gabion wall at the street, evergreen plantings and a perforated, Cor-ten corrugated screen to the south provide varying degrees of privacy and animation for the ensemble. From the courtyard, the house unfolds effortlessly and in several directions. A transparent living room, through which the expansive panorama begins to become visible, hovers over the tumbling escarpment. Inside, dramatic vistas across the valley created by tributaries to Lake Austin are omnipresent, and the house is alive with activity. The visceral textures of concrete, mill-finished steel and raw stucco are presented against finely detailed millwork and custom site-glazed window walls—which are framed with rift-sawn white oak and steel to form flitch plate mullions. Great expanses of transparent glass are paired with ventilator doors that open to encourage breezes through the house. A second living area downstairs provides an intimate enclave that looks into the tree canopy and gives access to the tumbling landscape below. Upstairs, perched above the trees, the master suite is filled with light and takes advantage of the valley views. The house also reaches back towards the street, cantilevering over the parking and embracing the activity of this dynamic neighborhood. Designed to embrace a lifestyle that easily moves between inside and out, and between intimate conditions and expansive prospects, this very efficient home takes maximum advantage of the pleasures of living in one’s own private enclave in the dense context of modest homes, one-off stores and chic restaurants.
