Located in an urban landfill in the south central Austin, the greatest challenge of the site was also one of its great potential, a wonderful oak over 150 years that was directly in the center of the buildable area of property. The design arose from the need to build in relation to the tree and investigate whether urban housing can achieve some of the spatial dynamics of tree: protecting the family without separating them from their surroundings.
The solution was to create a volume that contains a different dynamic levels of play with different heights involved and interact with the tree, tucking under and inside the cups that are defined by their foreign branches.
The house is clad in corrugated steel and Brazilian Redwood, which adds scale, texture, and a fusion of the house with its surrounding landscape while at the same time soften the sharp geometry of the structure. Paneling extends into the housing, which is also defined by the color chocolate bamboo floors, white walls, meticulously designed cabinets and clean details.
