There has always been an exuberant, improvisational quality to Dan Shipley’s architecture, and nowhere is that spirit more evident than in the home he and his wife, Lea Bauman, have built for themselves in Dallas.
“Most architects don’t get to build their own house, but I’ve been lucky to have had clients—many of them artists—with an affinity for materials and experimentation,” says Dan. “They understand that materials are design—that they have their own truth and you have to stick with that to get something that’s real. So this was an opportunity to have even more control over the process—without having to get permission.”
The neighborhood this house occupies is known for its highly crafted, almost quirky homes, many of them designed in the 1930s by the prolific Charles Dilbeck. “The houses have a lot of charm, details, and a generally Arts and Crafts approach,” says Dan. Although his house is distinctly modern, it’s imbued with a similar warmth and soulfulness.
The structural brick front wall sets the tone for what’s to come. “That old-fashioned, molded St. Joe Brick—you can feel that mass through the house,” he says. And it begins the ongoing dialogue on the exterior and interior among material, dimension, texture, and assembly. “We hardly ever have flush conditions. We are always separating and shifting the planes because different materials have different qualities.”
Our judges loved what they called the “experimental and episodic” nature of the design. “There’s so much detail and sense of materials.”
Citation
Custom Urban House
Shipley Architects
Alcott Street
Dallas
Project Credits
Architect: Dan Shipley, principal in charge, Shipley Architects, Dallas
Builder: ShipBuild Partners, Dallas
Project Size: 2,800 square feet
Site Size: 0.17 acre
Construction Cost: $250 per square foot
Photography: Robert Tsai Photography
Key Products
Bathroom Waterproofing:
Schluter DITRA
Cladding: Modular brick, St. Joe Brick Works; Waska coated cedar shingles
Counters: Wilsonart, Victostone Quartz
Dishwasher: KitchenAid
Exterior Tile: Aguayo cement tile,
Belvedere
Faucets: Kohler, Hansgrohe
Fireplace: Earthcore Isokern
HVAC: Daikin
Range: Bertazzoni
Refrigerator/Freezer: JennAir
Roofing: GAF Roofing composition shingles
Sinks: Kohler, Elkay
Toilets: Kohler
Windows/Window Wall Systems: Milgard, Metal Craft