Rising Action [Nicole Blair Architect]

Perched in Poise

Words Christopher Ferguson, AIA

A lofty addition takes flight over an existing bungalow for an East Austin couple seeking studio space without sacrificing their yard and luscious gardens.

“We knew it was going to be complicated, but we knew we had to do it,” beams Dylan Robertson, remembering the first moment he and his wife, Annie Cobb, saw their home addition visualized. “The renderings just spoke to us.”

The vision, striking yet surprisingly tender, was authored by architect Nicole Blair, who quickly formed a collaborative bond with the couple in the early conceptual meetings.

To address the challenge of needing more space without losing their backyard, the only place to go was up. Four steel beams support a taut, irregular volume which is connected to the ground by a playful and porous steel staircase landing at the existing bungalow’s porch.

Its sculpted, corrugated metal facade is ruddy and monolithic, punctuated by generous windows that lend it a lantern-like resemblance in the evenings. Cleverly, its volume takes angular cues from the bungalow’s roofline, affording elegant moments of composition when viewed from different vantage points on the ground.

Once upstairs, floor to ceiling windows reveal a vaulted, whitewashed pine interior complemented by pale pink cabinetry with copper and leather accents. Bathed in daylight, the room is warm, with a tidy kitchen spilling into a cozy reading nook. Despite the room’s tight footprint, the airy and intimate proportions cradle the space in a way that feels serene, comfortable, and protected.

A half stairway leads to a separate corridor flanked by a studio and cantilevered bedroom, each offering stunning neighborhood views. Off the corridor, a small study nook, perfectly perched above the entry, and an airy skylit bathroom complete the structure’s 600 square foot program.

Distilled to its essence, the home is successful due to its core treatment of space, light, and order, timeless considerations championed by French modernist architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known commonly as Le Corbusier.

His late work, “Open Hand Monument,” a soaring, 50-foot-tall abstracted concrete hand symbolizing unity in the balance of giving and taking, made a surprise appearance in an early design meeting. As a quick photo was captured, Dylan’s gesturing hand, fingers outstretched in uncanny likeness, hovered above the paper model of the home.

It’s a poetic coincidence that Nicole savors when reflecting upon the close relationship with Annie and Dylan that yielded the finished product. “I thought it was such a great analogy,” she says with a smile. “They have given so much of themselves to this process, and our work for them, the home, was theirs to receive.”

Hot Topic:
The home has already earned local and national acclaim and was recently featured on the AIA Homes Tour.

Extra Care:
Fabricated steel elements were craned into place to minimize disturbance to the existing landscape and home. Only one room in the old bungalow was altered during construction. To encapsulate the steel columns into its existing walls, the construction crew entered the house through the side window.

Contact:
1902 E 11th St.
nicoleblair.com
@nicoleblair.architect