Innovative Home Design: CoXist Studio’s Zig Zag Home
Modern Duplex, Elevated
Words by Christopher Ferguson, AIA Photos by Leonid Furmansky
A creative home designed and developed by CoXist Studio maximizes privacy, light, outdoor space, and a strong connection to the neighborhood community.
There’s no denying its bold curb-appeal; this home delivers personality and poise to its quiet street in Austin’s historic Govalle neighborhood, defined by modest, low-slung bungalows set back comfortably from the road. It stands out for its clean, modern lines and faceted, undulating second floor façade, punctuated by well-proportioned floor-to-ceiling windows oriented at varying angles.
The project, conceived and developed by architects Frank and Megan Lin of CoXist Studio, is striking, not only for its unique appearance but also for the elegant and simple design moves that its authors employed to ensure the home was at once humanistic, functional, and fun.
Its two mirrored 2,200 square-foot units, each equipped with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, are staggered north and south along its shared party wall to create a jog in its floor plan that affords privacy at its front and rear entrances. Likewise, no living spaces share a wall, ensuring additional noise privacy.
Inside, the angled walls that give the home its namesake serve to frame specific views—not toward the neighbors—but instead along specific axes that provide the most visual depth into the mature neighborhood.
Outside, Frank and Megan connected the home to its context, first by breaking down the scale of its massing to avoid a monolithic presence, and then by omitting a front yard fence, characteristic of many other homes in the neighborhood.
Megan explains, “There’s a community garden feel to it. To divide the front yard, we designed a large, shared plate steel planter with a communal mailbox attached. You have your privacy in a lot of ways, but with chances to connect with people, you’re also a part of the community.”
The interiors are warm and rich, with high end finishes bathed in light from the home’s many portals to the outside.
By avoiding trendy tropes in favor of timeless architectural principles cleverly imbued with Eastside whimsy, the ZigZag Duplex is well-positioned to stand the test of time.
Contact:
1101 Navasota St. Suite #3
coxiststudio.com
@coxist_studio
