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Architects: Alter Studio
- Area: 2700 m²
- Year: 2008
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Photographs:Casey Dunn Photography
Text description provided by the architects. Two blocks east of South Congress Avenue, almost at the top of the gentle rise from Ladybird Lake, the Annie House takes its circumstance as the primary motivation for its form. The elevation combined with the presence of a small church yard directly across the street suggested the possibilities of downtown views in perpetuity from a second floor. As a consequence, the typical arrangement of public and private spaces is here inverted: the primary living spaces are arranged upstairs with a wall of glazing north towards views of downtown, while private bedrooms open to protected courtyards on the floor below. An exterior spiral stair further connects the house to a roof deck and the ever-present breeze.
See more photographs and a further description of the Annie Residence after the break.
Home to a young professional couple and their new, growing family, the desire for a modern identity was also paramount in the design of this house. A steel stair greets the visitor upon entry and ascends to an open living area that encompasses kitchen, living and dining spaces.
Panelite screens provide a degree of privacy and a sense of color to the high volume, and a low projecting window frames a view to the adjacent street (and provides a suitable resting spot for the family dog). Removed from the traffic of the through-street below, family life is played out here against the background of the tree canopy and city skyline.
