Residence 104 has been designed by Miró Rivera Architects and is situated in Austin, Texas on a steeply sloping, wedge-shaped site that opens to sweeping views of a canyon, Lake Austin and the Hill Country beyond. The design of the 6,500 square foot residence responds to the challenges of its site in two ways:  First, the house is laid out as an arc along the sharp fall of the terrain, high enough that the fill on the front of the house creates a substantial flat area that accommodates many family activities, the reverse of the typical suburban American house. Second, the house is broken into three pavilions connected by breezeways allowing the site to “flow” through. The pavilions, framed with thick stone walls on two sides, afford a strong connection between the grand vistas in back and the activity spaces in front.  The roof, with deep overhangs to protect from the sun, is shaped to collect rainwater, which is channeled through two expressive scuppers into a pair of 20,000-gallon cisterns under the house.

Photos: Courtesy of Miró Rivera Architects