Alterstudio’s ambitious design for full-time art collectors succeeds on many levels, not least for its elevation of a featureless suburban lot—and the artwork inside. Deep lot setbacks influenced its boomerang-like footprint, which is articulated as an Indiana limestone-clad bar that cantilevers over the main level. Retracting glazed walls on each side of the long living space allow the landscape, with its gardens, terraces, and a pool, to flow through. At the entrance, a glass-lined hole opens in the 35-foot cantilever, scrambling perceptions of inside and out. Sectionally, the house interacts with sunlight in delightful and unexpected ways through interior light wells, slatted partitions, and pocket gardens. Programmatic landscape elements are skillfully deployed, too. Accessed from the alley, the garage is hidden under green terracing in the backyard, creating a soft canvas for play and entertaining. And across the lawn, an art gallery was sunk into the site to achieve 14-foot ceilings.
“Given all the constraints, we were really proud to contribute in a way that makes the environment richer and not just historicist,” Kevin says of the neighborhood of contemporary Tudor and French chateau-style homes. “When one drives by, it’s not like it looks like everything else, or ‘what is that crazy shape?’ It’s respectful, unusual, and intriguing, and is a different version of the way architecture can materialize in this neighborhood, aligned to our clients’ interest in contemporary art.” [See previous Case Study coverage of this project here.]
Citation
Custom Urban House
Alterstudio
Highland Park Residence
Dallas
Project Credits
Architect: Kevin Alter, Assoc. AIA; Ernesto Cragnolino, FAIA; Tim Whitehill, Assoc. AIA; Michael Woodland, AIA; Jenna Dezinski, Alterstudio Architecture, Austin, Texas
Builder: Steven Hild Custom Builder, Dallas
Interior Designer: Silvia Zofio, SZ PROJECTS, Dallas
Landscape Architect: David L. Hocker, Hocker Design, Dallas
Lighting Designer: Essential Light Design Studio, Dallas
Structural Engineer: Ellinwood + Machado Structural Engineers, Atlanta
Mechanical Engineer: Positive Energy, Austin
Project Size: 12,398 square feet
Site Size: .67 acre
Construction Cost: Withheld
Photography: Casey Dunn
Key Products
Cladding: Indiana limestone
Faucets: VOLA
Garage Doors: MHB/Grand Openings
HVAC: Mitsubishi, Aprilaire
Lighting: Amerlux
Lighting Control: Lutron
Ovens: Miele
Refrigerator/Freezer: Sub-Zero
Sinks: VOLA
Tile: Ceramica Suro
Tub: Blu Bathworks
Windows: Western Window Systems
Window Wall Systems: Sky-Frame
Plans and Drawings
