The Hive

Austin, TX, United States

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The Hive

Austin, TX, United States

Firm

Nicole Blair

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2015

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$100K - 500K

The Hive is a 550sqft guest house (ADU) situated behind a primary residence. The 320sqft footprint is the maximum allowed on this 6500sqft residential lot to meet City of Austin pervious cover requirements. To gain enough volume to fit a one-bedroom dwelling, walls tilt from the slab, hugging building setback planes and an angled utility easement at the back of the property, to add volume where needed — evoking the shape of a beehive. By carefully tailoring the space in three dimensions, rooms are cut down and expanded to suit the program. Remember the Vitruvian man with outstretched arms? His range of motion is circular, the widest at shoulder height, the narrowest at the ceiling and floor. This observation coupled with close examination of the actions performed in each space — sitting, sleeping, standing — inform the shape of the Hive and create spaces that feel both intimate and grand. Kitchen walls lean out for increased counter space, a large built-in desk with cantilevered bookshelf is nestled into a spot with low ceiling height but which yield an expanded view while seated at the desk. The shower is widest towards the center of the body and narrows high above to provide room for rising steam. In the bedroom, the width broadens at knee height to fit a queen mattress and is widest at eye level when reading from bed, but equally the vaulted space feels spacious when standing despite limited floor and ceiling area. Also contained within the volume is a covered porch and private outdoor shower at the ground floor entrance, a closet with stackable laundry, a bath with walk-in shower and bench, built-in shelving and storage throughout, and an exterior bike storage closet beneath the stair.

The Hive's design draws inspiration from Dutch and Japanese precedents that find creative solutions when faced with spatial constraints. While the box form is the reigning standard for economy of construction, reproduction, and reuse, equally important inefficiencies can emerge when examining other factors like material excess (purchasing and installing more materials on a cost/sqft basis than needed), energy consumption (to heat and cool more volume than needed), and oversizing (occupying real estate which may otherwise be shared by another function). Like a well-designed garment, a building is more efficient when tailored to the shape and movement of its inhabitants.

Materials + Fabrication Credits:
Nicole Blair also served as the General Contractor for the project.
Cedar shake siding is repurposed roofing material obtained from R Builders in Austin, TX.
Cabinet fronts made from reclaimed longleaf pine sheathing from a local bungalow. Built by Wishtree Carpentry.
Shou-sugi-ban flooring/stairs/desktop material sourced from Delta Millworks.
3 coat traditional stucco interior walls by Jose Rivera.
Framing / Siding / Trim executed by Boban Brothers.
Interior painted steel details (shower bench, handrail, bath mirror) fabricated by Drophouse Design.
Exposed copper shower plumbing and combination towel bar fabricated by the plumber, Antonio Juarez.
Light fixtures constructed from common splitters inspired by Austin artist Andy Colquitt.

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The Hive

Austin, TX, United States

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The Hive

Austin, TX, United States

Other Projects by Nicole Blair

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The Hive

Austin, TX, United States

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team