Carved Cube House, West Austin Residence, Texas Residential Property, Architecture in USA

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Contemporary Home in Texas, USA, design by Bercy Chen Studio Architects

Aug 28, 2016

Location: West Austin, Texas, USA

Design: Bercy Chen Studio, Architects

Carved Cube House, TX

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Photos by Paul Bardagjy

Carved Cube House, West Austin

The Carved Cube House located in West Austin, is the result of a subtractive process. The original volume, a perfect cube of 38′×38′×38′, was deconstructed with subtle level changes, carefully placed windows, and outdoor terraces shaded by cantilevered louvers, which open up the space as one ascends towards the sky. Trellises recreate the original massing of the cube while shading the exterior space from the harsh Texas sun.

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Carved Cube House in West Austin

The home’s circulation occurs on a skewed axis following the relationship and orientation of the existing house below. The narrow three story entry axial canyon brings natural light deep into the heart of the house. Dramatic shadows cast on the interior canyon walls quietly revealing the passage of time. The skewed axis combined with the constant compression and release through the house creates a very dynamic space.

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Carved Cube House in West Austin

The house is situated on a steep hillside above a dry creek. Its formal genesis is threefold, with naturalistic, historic and programmatic forces shaping the house concurrently. In relation to its natural setting, the house resembles large limestone boulders often chanced upon in the hill country. Their natural beauty is sculpted by gradual wind and water erosion over millions of years.

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Historically this house is an attempt to explore the textile block legacy of Wright’s work. His stone lantern made from a single textile block for the Freeman house served as inspiration. The notion that the DNA of a house can be captured in a single building block, establishing a relationship between the whole and the parts seemed to be a marginalized idea worth investigating.

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Carved Cube House in West Austin Carved Cube House in West Austin

These ideas were overlaid with the logistical and programmatic requirement of the clients, as well as relationship to the geometry of the existing building below.

Carved Cube House in West Austin Carved Cube House in West Austin

Even though the sizable lot is close to an acre, the narrow shape and tight building setback lines imposed stringent restriction on the building envelope.

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Carved Cube House in West Austin

Photography: Paul Bardagjy

Carved Cube House in West Austin information / images from Bercy Chen Studio architects practice, USA

Website: www.bcarc.com – project post by Bercy Chen Studio

Location: West Austin, TX, United States of America

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