Olson Kundig Architects has designed this spectacular modern home that cantilevers over a rugged topography with insane views over the skyline of Austin, Texas. Constructed for a retired professional golfer, this rusted steel-clad dwelling harmonizes with its surroundings of brush and rocks, allowing the structure to balance dual impressions of strength and lightness.
This home elegantly navigates the constraints of its challenging site. From the main entrance at the top of the hill, the landscape drops away almost immediately, morphing from a suburban neighborhood to a steep, rocky ravine.
DESIGN DETAILS: ARCHITECT Olson Kundig Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR Jon Luce Builder CIVIL ENGINEER Blyel Engineering STRUCTURAL ENGINEER PCS Structural Solutions KINETIC FABRICATION KB Architectural Services CUSTOM LIGHTING Resolute Lighting
The structure hovers over the rugged terrain to capture sweeping views of the surrounding landscape and the spectacular Austin skyline beyond.
At the public, street-facing side, the dwelling’s long, low profile creates a bridge across the terrain, framing glimpses of the hillside below its central volume.
An attached garage echoes this expression, punctuated by clerestory windows to capture natural light. Inside the garage, a workstation provides dedicated space for the homeowner, a retired professional golfer, to tune his clubs.
A steel catwalk and custom entry door are painted to match Porsche’s Mexico Blue and open onto the dwelling’s generous main living space, which boasts a floor-to-ceiling window wall that overlooks the ravine.
What We Love: This fascinating home cantilevers over the hillside, maximizing the sensational views of the cityscape. The talented design team has created an architectural masterpiece, with expansive walls of glazing, cantilevered decks, and a swimming pool that would be refreshing day or night with that magnificent view. Overall, we are loving the design of this dwelling, especially the rolling window complete with the architect’s signature crank wheel.
Tell Us: What details do you find most intriguing in the design of this cantilevered Texas home? Let us know in the Comments below!
Note: Have a look at a couple of other amazing home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign in the state of Texas: A Texas lake house mixes organic elements with sophisticated details and Tour this amazing rammed earth home nestled in the Texas Hill Country.
A hand-operated wheel allows the wall to partially lower and become a guardrail, with exposed counterweights that celebrate the engineering of this feature kinetic element. In the attached kitchen and dining room, a custom light installation illuminates and unifies both spaces.
Throughout this space, wood floors and ceilings are complemented by blackened steel accents, fostering a warm and comfortable interior.
An adjacent, cantilevering wing houses a powder room and study, as well as a custom staircase made of bent and hemmed steel with perforated panels. This treatment is repeated in the custom, built-in elements throughout the powder room and study, including a bent steel vanity and sink, trophy case and desk.
The hallway and owner’s suite just beyond frame wide views and link to a narrow steel catwalk that extends over the ravine, providing a unique experience of the landscape.
Below the owner’s suite, a guest suite takes advantage of the empty volume between home and hillside, hanging suspended from above. Additional spaces for guests on the upper-most level enjoy views across the roof of the owner’s suite to the city.
This environment easily transitions outside to a generous deck with a pool and hot tub. A thick panel of clear acrylic at the far end of the pool creates additional views from the water.
PHOTOGRAPHER Aaron Leitz
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