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Horseshoe Bay, Texas
Overland Partners Architects
In planning for their second home, a family living in San Antonio, Texas wanted something that would be a definite departure from the traditionally designed home to which they were accustomed. Armed with a double lot set against a man-made lake in Horseshoe Bay, Texas and the strong desire for a “surprise house,” they turned to Richard Archer, FAIA, of Overland Partners Architects for assistance. “The clients wanted to feel that their second home would be an escape,” Archer explains. “They also wanted the house to be a surprise.” To create a “surprise house”, Archer tucked the house behind a sandstone wall and made the layout not easily discerned from the street.
The stone landscape wall that conceals the house from the rest of the residential development is only one element that differentiates it from the surroundings. Discussions with his client made it apparent to the architect that direct access to the water from the house would be important to the design. “Other homes in this subdivision follow the traditional suburban model--a front yard, a backyard, and the lake just beyond that,” he says, “Setting the house at the water’s edge dissolves the separation.”
Early on, the architect realized that his clients, who never clung to a particular design style, had leanings toward a simplistic and functional design-sense that mirrors Japanese design. Once inside the sandstone wall and on the compound, the architect explains that the Japanese architectural technique of engawa—or space between— is utilized. “For this project, we were very interested in layering space,” Archer explains. “Our goal was to dissolve indoor and outdoor boundaries.” From the gated entrance, one enters into a courtyard and garden that leads to the three pavilions of the residence with open access to the porch, the terraces, and the lake beyond.
The three vertical concrete pavilions, connected by the 120-foot porch that runs the length of the house, create the separate quarters of the residence. The southernmost pavilion is the recreation area that contains a garage, the boathouse, and an adjacent game room for this active family. The second pavilion accommodates the children’s and guest wing. The bedrooms and bathrooms are stacked two on two and are each accessible from the outside. Archer describes these quarters as a “great surprise.” Each bedroom has wall-to-wall and floor-to-floor glazing that gives its inhabitants stunning and varied views of the lake. The third pavilion hosts the master suite as well as the more utilitarian portions of the home—a study, the kitchen, and the living and dining rooms. The separation of the residence into a trio of pavilions allows the clients to open only the sections of their home they intend to utilize.
Throughout the home, four dominant building materials are utilized—concrete, sandstone, steel, and glass—and they were chosen as much for their local availability as for their differing textures and distinct characteristics. The vertical, monolithic concrete volumes are inspired by a nearby granite outcropping. The sandstone, which is quarried nearby, was selected piece by piece to create the correct shaping and coloring of the masonry wall. Archer points out that the materials used externally were also used internally. “The repeated use of stone and concrete, as well as the diaphanous lakeside portion of the pavilions, further emphasizes our desire to blend the indoors and the outdoors,” he explains, which is accomplished with great success.
By Randi Greenberg
Gross square
footage
4,300 sq. ft.
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complete specs
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