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Falcon Ledge Residence / Alterstudio Architecture

Pilar Caballero — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

The Falcon Ledge Residence reflects the character and aspirations of its occupants. The house presents an opportunity to live in an unusual circumstance, connected to the landscape while rising out of it, and an inspiration for a life lived with unanticipated pleasures. Newly married and planning to start a family, the owners enjoy a daily routine connected to the out-of-doors without having to rely on curtains to maintain their privacy. Overcoming the obstacles of limited budgets, contractors unused to careful construction, and a very difficult property on which to build has served to underline the success of the final construction.

Highland Park Residence / Alterstudio Architecture

Pilar Caballero — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000

The Highland Park residence offers a counter proposal to the contemporary Tudor mansions and French chateaus of this tony Dallas neighborhood. On a property without any significant natural features or trees, and neighbors looming on either side, the three-level design creates an extraordinary environment for family and art. Here, an incredible new landscape disguises the garage and is an invitation to occupy in new and unexpected ways.

City Park Residence / Alterstudio Architecture

Pilar Caballero — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Perched along a verdant slope overlooking downtown Austin, the City Park Residence by Alterstudio Architecture is delicately interwoven into the rugged beauty of its surroundings. In a dramatic panorama, the rolling hills of western Austin frame the urban skyline with the iconic Pennybacker Bridge in a picturesque mid-ground. Suspended in dynamic tension between these extravagant views and the intimacy of a private court, the constant allure of the spectacular is counterbalanced by grounded elements that offer moments of pause and embrace.

Cuernavaca Residence / Alterstudio Architecture

Pilar Caballero — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0000

The Cuernavaca Residence is the latest installment in an evolving constructed landscape on a family compound that is shared by the client and her sister. Nestled in a wooded lot, the home forms an ensemble with an existing pool house. The latter’s board-formed concrete walls establish the material basis for the new residence, which is home to a family of five and includes two home offices.

Constant Springs Residence / Alterstudio Architecture

Clara Ott — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 07:00:00 +0000

The opportunity to live simultaneously in the center of the city and in an isolated refuge presented a powerful circumstance for this family of four. Within a very ordinary neighborhood, this home is oriented to take maximum advantage of the unexpected escarpment, creek and natural views offered at the rear of the property.

Hill Country Wine Cave / Clayton Korte

Pilar Caballero — Sun, 22 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Located at the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country, this private wine cave serves as a destination along a secluded bend in the Blanco River. Excavated into the north face of a solid limestone hillside, this shotcrete-lined tube is protected on the East and West by tall oak and elm trees, allowing it to nearly disappear within the native landscape. The unassuming exterior entry court reveals a bit of mystery as it provides just a glimpse of what lies within. Heavy limestone boulders, collected from the excavation, and lush vegetation further camouflage the entry as you descend into the mouth of the cave.

Five Yard House / Miró Rivera Architects

Andreas Luco — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 14:00:00 +0000

The Five Yard House is one in a series of century-old bungalows that constitutes one of the oldest remaining neighborhoods in Austin. When the owners, a retired couple, bought the house to be closer to downtown in a walkable neighborhood, the building was crumbling and abandoned. Despite its condition, the clients chose to preserve and restore the bungalow. Behind it, a modern addition arranged around a series of landscaped outdoor spaces gives new life to the site while preserving its heritage.

River Ranch / Jobe Corral Architects

Andreas Luco — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 01:00:00 +0000

Driving elements • physical and visual connection to the land • Responds to the site: shelters from elements while opening to the view • Natural materials: rammed earth, vertical grain cedar, limestone • Rainwater catchment, and underground cistern serve the entire residence This residence, located in the Texas Hill Country, is about the connection to the land. The team agreed from the first visit that the structure should be integrated into its surroundings, which is composed of beautiful oak trees, open views, and a slice of the Blanco River. In this setting, it is essential to seek protection from the sun, the strong winds, and the flooding rains.

M1700 House / RAVEL Architecture

Andreas Luco — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 17:00:00 +0000

On a secluded street in Austin Texas, this home was designed for clients in search of a quiet and private sanctuary. The clients wanted a full-size lap pool that they could use for daily exercise and the site posed a challenge because of its expansive soils and 25-foot elevation change. The location of the pool became the linchpin for the design of the house. The design strategy integrated the pool into the house, and in doing so it gave new opportunities. The pool works to bisect the house, with the public living areas on the one side and the more private master suite and office on the other.

Tarrytown Residence / Alterstudio Architecture

Andreas Luco — Wed, 27 May 2020 17:00:00 +0000

The Tarrytown Residence injects a tone of modernity into an otherwise traditional, post-war neighborhood, and defines a private landscape as the center of this family home. Caught between a walled garden along the street and a central courtyard behind, the interior opens resolutely to the out-of-doors under a ubiquitous ceiling plane and is minimally contained by custom site-glazed window walls. A pair of abstract volumes, clad in long-format, black brick, and black-stained cedar completes the ensemble, shielding the interior from view and providing a buffer to the possibility of neighboring future development.

Haskell Health House / Weaver Buildings

Valentina Villa — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 17:20:00 +0000

The Haskell Health House, modeled after concepts in Richard Neutra's Lovell Health House, reinterprets how a conscientious architecture might be embodied in Austin, Texas today. The urban infill home holds 850 sq ft of interior living and pairs it with 1,100 sq ft of landscaped living along downtown's hike and bike trail on Lady Bird Lake.