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House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners
House 334,  | International Design Awards Winners

House 334

Lead DesignersCraig McMahon
Prize(s)Honorable Mention
Project LinkView
Entry Description

Program: 2,200 s.f. Main home w/220 s.f detached Studio and Detached Garage
Lot Size: 50 x 150
Location: Alamo Heights, Texas

The 2200 s.f. home is for a family of three. The property was purchased for a downsizing experiment and Design/Build opportunity to explore a different way of living on the smaller 50’ wide lots found in the area. Being Frustrated with overbuilt newer homes on similar properties, the Design goal was to create a compact open home with interconnected outdoor living spaces to show how a family can comfortably live on a compact site without sacrificing space or quality.

The existing 1200 s.f. one story existing home included mature oak trees and impressive 20’ tall bamboo trees. During research, it was found that the original structure had been a prototype for residential concrete construction by a local experimental builder during the 50’s. Upon demolition, The original home was found to be completely constructed of concrete. The design focused on respecting the natural material and history of the original materials.

As the shape of the existing home worked well for the public spaces- the Bedroom Addition followed with a careful harmonious connection to respect to the original homes scale and concrete character. All spaces were sized to respect the balance of use/need and to allow for a direct outside connection. Every inch of the home utilized for necessary space- including built in storage rather than dedicated closets.

For the outdoors, the zoning required a rear detached Garage, which was utilized to frame the backyard in order to salvage the limited yard space. The typical concrete driveway was replaced with drivable gravel to ground the pavilion addition. To increase the usability of the property, a roof top dining deck was created over the garage.