In the heart of Texas hill country 40 miles outside Austin, 2006 Rome prize winner Patrick Tighe has created an agile machine for living, a residential compound that responds to both the natural beauty of its panoramic site and the lifestyle needs of its inhabitants. Surrounded by some 12 acres of limestone knolls, live oaks and natural springs, the home’s site-specific orientation and playful geometries maximize unobstructed views and human interactions. Compositionally, the architect playfully explores a series of oppositions: heavy and light, open and closed, front vs. back, public vs. private, contemporary yet vernacular. The massive entry façade is anchored by board-formed concrete piers, offset on the view side by ceiling-high walls of glass held aloft by a group of slender steel columns leaning eccentrically as they bear the load of the cedar-lined eaves above. With a master suite on one end and guest rooms on the other, the lofty main space in between incorporates living, dining and kitchen, organized around a dry-stack freestanding fireplace and chimney constructed entirely of limestone collected from the site. Here in this freethinking enclave it is possible to drop out of society while symbiotically keeping a finger on the pulse of design at the leading edge.

Listing Agent:
Brian Linder, AIA
The Value Of Architecture

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