This Austin residence took more than a year to design and just eight months to build. The project, which meets green architectural standards, was conceived through the simulation of various scenarios involving the activities of household members. Instead of creating a simple indoor-outdoor contrast, the architects projected a host of situations with different atmospheric and light conditions and spatial experiences, depending on the length of time spent in a particular space. Some of the spaces are private and others are shared, resulting in a matrix: the north-south axis involves indoor and outdoor spaces that align themselves with a terraced slope toward the south; the east-west axis aligns with the movement of the sun that illuminates daily activities.
The house is situated in a green district not far from the city center, but is still protected by its topography and lush greenery due to the sizable land plots that ensure low building density in the area. The exceptional native landscape has been preserved to a great extent by highlighting some of its ancient elements such as the trees, garden, and cave.
The entire house is oriented toward the views and the light amplified by the pool’s water, which is strategically positioned outside the heart of the house.
The openings that are directed mainly toward the south play into the indoor-outdoor spatial dialogue with their size. A long horizontal strip of windows on the second floor were incorporated to allow all of the household members to enjoy the same views of the expansive green landscape.
Team
Planning: Jadric Architektur ZT GMBH, Vienna, Austria
Design Principal: Mladen Jadric
Design Team: Li Jie, Edin Velic, Max Krankl
Structural advisor-concept: DI Igor Budai ZT GMBH
Client: Vesna & Dragan Jadric, Austin, TX, USA
Partner Architects: Erik Gonzalez, sago international, Austin, TX, USA
Construction survey: James M. Grant, Manchaca, TX, USA
Builder: SKYWEST-Builders, Austin, TX, USA
Graphic design: Asakura Kazuma
Project data
Site area: 0.632 Acre
Total floor area: 3206 square feet
Photography: Paul Bardagjy Photography