The 2012 Modern Home Tour is TOMORROW – Saturday February 4th from 11:00am -6:00pm! It’s finally here, but are you ready for the big day?

You’re Tour Checklist:

1. TICKETS! Have you gotten yours yet? Advanced Tickets are $20 and are only available until 8:00pm TONIGHT, Friday February 3rd! If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, now’s the time!

If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, don’t worry, you may buy your tickets tomorrow for $25 at any of these will call stations:

104 Thistle Court
3103 Highland Terrace W.
1127 Lott Ave.
2210 East Side Dr.
1114 E. Cesar Chavez– The GoodLife Team Office

2. A GAME PLAN! We’re so happy that there are so many Austinites who love Modern Architecture – you make this tour a success! What this means, however, is that you’ll be admiring these beautiful modern homes with several hundred of your friends and neighbors. We suggest that you CARPOOL to cut down on traffic and that you plan your route ahead of time.

The Modern Home Tour is completely self-guided. You are welcome to spend as much or as little time as you’d like at each of the 16 spectacular stops on the Tour. Plan wisely.

Parking: Most homes are on quiet streets, but many of the streets are frequently occupied by homeowners who park on the street. This means you may not be able to park right in front of the homes. We recommend you pick a street in the middle of a group of homes and walk, enjoying the funky and distinct Austin neighborhoods!

3. SLIP ON/ SLIP OFF SHOES and SOCKS! After a summer of intense drought, the rain is finally here. Weather forecasts are predicting rain Saturday. The Modern Home Tour will run rain or shine, but if it rains many homes will be asking that you remove your shoes. Wear shoes that you can get on and off easily and make sure to wear your favorite funky socks!

4. UMBRELLAS! You don’t want to be found a block away walking towards the next home in the middle of a downpour – right? Come prepared with your umbrellas and rain coats!

5. A CAMERA! Some homes –though not all – will allow you to take photographs during the Tour. Bring your cameras and ask the homeowners and architects upon entry if they will allow you to take photos of the home!

The Modern Home Tour is always an amazing and fun event in Austin. It’s a great time to meet other modern architecture lovers and to get inspired by spectacular homes. We’ll see you tomorrow from 11:00am – 6:00pm for one of the best Tours in Austin, TX!

We’re taking a break from our daily GoodLife Team construction reports to bring you and update on the spectacular home design by Nick Mehl that is nearing completion on 800 W. Oltorf Street. Though the changes going on in this home are not as obvious as those see on the GoodLife Team offices, they are no less exciting. This home now boasts stunning orange doors, ceiling fans, a tile back splash in the kitchen, and shiny new street numbers and a mailbox. This construction site is now more of a home, and can’t wait to kick off our shoes and explore every nook and cranny.

What a mess, a beautiful mess. Though our yard is full of ladders, saws and wood chips, you won’t see us shaking our heads in disapproval. Why? The bamboo floors and counter-tops arrived today! All windows are fully installed! As we get closer and closer to the weekend, it’s going to be a mad dash to the finish line as paint goes up and carpet tiles are installed in the video|conference room. Stay tuned!

It’s been a day for details. The built in desk for the office building is installed, the walls are prepped for paint, on the roof (though you can’t see it – we’re bad with ladders) a sand roof is in place to support a Green Roof, and the conference room has windows and completed siding. Be sure to come back tomorrow, they’ll be bringing in the bamboo floors and air conditioners (accessories essential for ANY Austin office space!).

www.cottamhargrave.com

Jay Hargrave has been designing and constructing buildings for 20 years. He graduated from the UT Austin School of architecture, has taught design at UT Austin SoA as an adjunct professor and later attended the Option II MBA program at the McCombs School of Business. He operates a firm that includes a custom piece shop that produces structural components, stairs, railings and commissioned furniture pieces for both his buildings and buildings designed by other architects.

Meet Jay Hargrave’s Home: 1119 Redbud Trail

Go to Modern Home Tour Featured Architects

An Interview with Jay Hargrave

Q: What is it about architecture in general and modern architecture in particular that excites you enough to make it your profession?

A: I like to invent and create. Experiencing the sensory immersion of space, the clarity and strength of structures and the craftsmanship and artistry in execution are very compelling to me, but I don’t think of myself as a modern architect… rather a constructor of buildings that are characterized by expressive structural solutions with simple interiors that are not only a result of the architectural concept, but are further rendered by integrating systems.

I grew up in a family business and on a farm. Much of my developmental period was informed by doing things with my hands and my ending up in architecture school was perhaps more of  an accident than the result of deliberate academic focus. Thank goodness for naïve optimism!

In this context, modern means to me: astylar, not predisposed to style; appropriate design, without nostalgia; not necessarily of the style of modernism, or uniqueness or even designing without familiar stylistic elements. It is, in a sense, freeing when one can solve a problem without struggling with stylistic consistency.

Actually, I like pre-industrial age buildings: transparent, honest, iconic. Geometry was not only a primary tool for design and construction, it was often clearly communicated to those that used and experienced the building. One Hundred and fifty years ago we could not have built the towers of Dubai, but today we would be challenged in the effort to build a cathedral. We have made progress but perhaps lost simplicity and depth. For me embracing this meaning of modern architecture allows me the freedom to try to regain some of this simplicity and depth.

Q: Tell us something about you or your work that differentiates you and/or your work?

A: We build what we design. Not only as general contractors and architects, but as craftsmen fabricating custom components that become defining elements of the buildings. This unique firm acumen directly informs design decisions and processes in the design and document phase of the project. This combined with a consolidated schematic design phase delivers solutions that are derived efficiently, that are unique, and that consider the specifics of the program but also the sensibilities of the craftsman and constructor.

Q: Give us your list of the five buildings, anywhere in the world, that have most inspired your design philosophy.

A: Domestic Vernacular of Mexico
The Tepee
The Cathedral of Saint John the Devine
Battle Hall
Golden Gate Bridge

Q: In 500 words or less, describe what you would do, architecturally, to Austin if you could design it to be your dream city.

A: My dream city would be somewhere between the Sky Pad apartments where the Jetson’s lived and Bedrock where the Flintstones hailed from. That is probably my most honest answer.

Yes, I have complaints about my city. The general lack of awesome buildings, the incredible sprawl that we deny, the number of police officers we pay to monitor the occupation of our city hall steps. But I love Austin.

I miss some things gone and welcome new things that have come. For me city planning is like economics. Hit or miss. The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I don’t see cities so much as a collection of buildings, streets and services but rather as entities possessing something powerful that if you sifted through all the pieces you’d be no closer to identifying what that was then if you were looking at it from space. Cities are mystically unique and unyielding to the good will of individuals. And like our children, they don’t always remind us of the founders. Our responsibility to our city is to feed, give ourselves up to and invest toil and love to help it grow in a way that has continuity. Austin is not the town it was when I was kid, it’s more. The downtown has come to life and we have more cultural resources. My vote is to let Austin continue growing and nurture it with quality contributions.

thoughtcrib.com/

Eric S. Brown, Associate AIA, LEED AP, is dedicated to providing appropriate design solutions for various client needs and project types. He founded Thoughtcrib, Inc. in the summer of 2007 to carry out this work in spirited collaboration with home owners, property owners and business owner.

Thoughtcrib, Inc. is an award-winning design firm based in Austin, TX with an emphasis on sustainable solutions for the built environment. Design solutions focus on each Client’s specific needs, desires, site and budget. Each project is approached with a keen understanding of construction methodology, construction costs and sustainable practices. We do not design in a particular style; instead we develop solutions that are appropriate to and imbued with the personality of the client and the site.

Meet Eric Brown’s Home: 104 Thistle Court

Go to Modern Home Tour Featured Architects

An Interview with Eric Brown

Q: What is it about architecture in general and modern architecture in particular that excites you enough to make it your profession?

A: I love working with people and helping them solve problems so that they can live better lives. A modern design approach facilitates this by allowing everything to be questioned – lifestyles, allocation of resources, form, context – which results in the development of appropriate solutions.

Q: Tell us something about you or your work that differentiates you and/or your work?

A: I have a great amount of experience in construction and understand how design affects cost. As a result, my designs tend to be straightforward and more likely to be built. This is paramount when designing for people who have needs and limited budgets.

Q: Give us your list of the five buildings, anywhere in the world, that have most inspired your design philosophy.

A: The buildings that have shaped my design philosophy tend to be simple, expressive, and contextually responsive. Five that stand out are:

Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde, Anasazi
Alamo Cement Plant House, Lake Flato Architects
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Overland Partners
Thorncrown Chapel, Faye Jones
Farnsworth House, Mies van der Rohe

We’ve got to hand it to them, our new office buildings look amazing! With the classic Sett Studio combination of wood paneling and metal siding, the new buildings are stunning. Take a look at those floor-to-ceiling windows and nearly completed roofs! We can’t wait to explore the rooms, and we can’t wait to share them with you, dear Modern Home Tour lovers. Come back tomorrow to witness the changes – we’re on the home-stretch!

Yet another productive day at The GoodLife Team offices. As we head into the weekend we leave behind recognizable buildings – complete with walls, windows, and even (oh boy!) Siding! Who needs wall art when you’re window opens up to authentic Austin graffiti? The glass has arrived for the floor-to-ceiling windows and doors, and we can’t wait to see them installed Monday. Michael Speciale and his team are hard at work and everyone at The GoodLife Team is hard at work on being EXCITED. Keep up the good work Sett Studio, we can’t wait to see the finished product!

What a difference one day makes! For traditional orders, Sett Studio promises clients their units will be complete in 2 days. We have twice the order and a custom design, but we can see that without the distraction of the second building and special requests, we’d be sitting in brand new offices right now! Our conference room has four walls and a roof, the office space waits for its roof and windows, the patio between the two rooms is coming to life and the spectacular siding has arrived. It’s not hard to believe that in such a short amount of time The GoodLife Team backyard and office will be transformed. Check out today’s construction progress and don’t miss tomorrow as we’re speeding toward the final reveal!

www.pollenarchitecture.com

Elizabeth Shaw Alford AIA Associate, Principal:
Elizabeth is a principal in Pollen Architecture and Design, founded in 2008. Elizabeth and her partners, Michael Young – her husband – and Dason Whitsett integrate skill sets from diverse backgrounds (art, architecture, building technology, design-build, and education) in a collaborative approach. This interdisciplinary design process incorporates digital simulations, analog modeling, rigorous attention to craft and development of new materials to create projects that are inventive, experientially rich, and genuinely sustainable.

Pollen’s Balcones House was featured on the 2011 AIA Austin Homes Tour, and featured in Tribeza Magazine in October. Their 12th Street Studios project received the AIA Austin Honor Award in 2009, and the UT Austin 2007 Student Architecture Award. The project was published in Architectural Record Magazine in July 2007 and Detail Magazine in 2010.
Prior to returning to Austin, Elizabeth studied and practiced in New York City for 15 years, gaining experience at leading firms including Smith-Miller+Hawkinson Architects, Architecture Research Office (ARO), Polshek and Partners, and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).

Elizabeth has taught design studios at UT since 2003. She was a faculty advisor for two UT Solar Decathlon teams, and is at work on a book titled Site: Offsite, Architecture and the Factory Built House which is supported by the Graham Foundation.

KEY CREDENTIALS
Principal, Pollen Architecture & Design, Austin, TX 2008-present
Adjunct Professor, University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, 2003-present
Master of Architecture, Columbia University, G.S.A.P.P., New York, NY
Bachelor of Art, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
Member: American Institute of Architects, USGBC Balcones Chapter

RECENT PROJECTS all in Austin, TX
Chapel Remodelling and New Campus Ministry Building, St.Edward’s Universty, current.
Tri Recycling. Design of LEED certified 50,000 sf facilities for single stream recycling 2009
KIPP Austin Academy of Arts and Letters. Masterplan for charter school and design of major renovation of 28,000 sf in two existing buildings as new middle school. 2009
Balcones Residence. Austin, TX, 2008-2011
East 12th St. Studios. 2005-2006

SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS
2011 AIA Austin Homes Tour—Balcones House
AIA Austin Citation of Honor–12th St Studios, 2010
University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture Student Architecture Award 2007
Graham Foundation for the Humanities Grant for book on offsite fabrication of houses
A.I.A. New York Chapter, Architecture Honor Award for Hetrick Martin Institute 1993
Columbia University, A.I.A. Certificate of Merit, for outstanding graduate design 1991.

Meet Elizabeth Alford’s Home: 4502 Balcones Drive

Go to Modern Home Tour Featured Architects

An Interview with Elizabeth Alford

Q: What is it about architecture in general and modern architecture in particular that excites you enough to make it your profession?

A: You’re making places, which feels really important these days; architecture is real, solid, spatial, physical, material and it brings people together—it’s the best antidote to sitting in traffic and looking at a screen. I love construction sites for their mess and potential, and I find it intensely satisfying to see things built well. Also the field is evolving so much with digital tools.

Q: Tell us something about you or your work that differentiates you and/or your work?

A: I work with a great team where everyone brings a different skillset. The conversations are intense sometimes, but the results are richer and more comprehensive. I start from perspective of the inhabitant–what’s the best view on the site? what’s the sense of space inside? what tactile sensibility do the materials add?

Our partner Dason Whitsett uses digital simulation to find the best response to the natural flows on the site (sun/water/air), so the buildings are much more comfortable and efficient with resources. My husband, Michael Young, is an artist, so he’s always developing material assemblies and compositions and coming up with interesting ways to make building components. This allows us to bring a level of inventiveness to projects, beyond the typical architect’s ‘spec’. Our associate, John Algood goes back and forth between drawing and building, which gives him a great sensibility for details. We all share a passion for modern architecture, clean details and precision in construction.

Q: Give us your list of the five buildings, anywhere in the world, that have most inspired your design philosophy.

A: I have a habit with architecture books; so it would be hard pick 5, but I’ll list some that I return to, and some that I’ve been looking at recently:

Eileen Grey—E1027
Alvar Aalto—Villa Marea, Sanyatsalo Town Hall
Sigurd Lewerentz—churches and cemeteries
Peter and Alison Smithson—House of the Future
Lina Bo Bardi—Sao Paolo Museum of Art
Studio Gang—SOS Children’s Village
Diller-Scofidio+Renfro with Field Operations–Highline
Local favorite: Alejandro Aravena’s dorm at St. Edward’s
There’s amazing work happening in Japan now: Sanaa, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma

Q: In 500 words or less, describe what you would do, architecturally, to Austin if you could design it to be your dream city.

A: I would make it so you wouldn’t have to wait in traffic on Mopac or IH35. Wait—if I can do anything, let’s redesign IH35 altogether; maybe it becomes an underground bullet train. Now, from the futuristic to the nostalgic: I would like to see the weird and wonderful little public spaces return in Austin—Las Manitas, Les Amis; and why can’t they just show movies again at the Varsity? Back to utopia: Whole Foods should demand that its customers take public transportation and give up their parking lot for the Austin Museum of Art. Or a new vertical organic farm; now THAT would be farm-to-market!

On a more serious note, I would like for Austin to continue to fill in downtown, have a denser, more walkable urban core, with more intermediate scale buildings, not just towers and parking lots. I love that Austin’s public spaces develop around rivers, and that its main streets are named for rivers. It would be wonderful to continue to group the important cultural buildings of the city around Ladybird Lake. The north-south walking/biking corridors should be developed. The Shoal Creek trail is pretty amazing in its raw state, as is Johnson Creek. I’m looking forward to seeing proposals for Waller Creek. There are a lot of amazing things happening in Austin now; the new Library, Federal Courthouse, Zach Scott. It’s great that Austin is taking itself more seriously in terms of architecture.

The day has finally arrived! Michael Speciale and Sett Studio arrived early yesterday morning to begin the installation of the new GoodLife Team office spaces. These spectacular modern buildings will house a video|conference room and additional office spaces. As a special treat for 2012 Modern Home Tour visitors, The GoodLife Team is offering these new buildings as a BONUS stop on the Tour. Come meet The GoodLife Team and explore these unique space solutions that are perfectly designed for a modern expansion to your home or office!

The house has the feel of a treehouse, perched on the edge of a fractured limestone cliff, which is a part of the eschelon of the Balcones fault. Rooms look either downhill into the tops of trees in the ravine below or uphill into the rock gardens behind the house.

We rebuilt and re-conceived a house originally on the site, designed in 1957 by Jonathan Bowman. We kept the site strategy of the original house, as well as its limestone rubble walls; we also wanted to maintain its modest Case-Study era scale. The house was redesigned with a steel structure and significantly larger and different window openings. Most of the windows slide completely away to one side, allowing direct connection to the outside. The airflow up the hill draws air through the house in most months.

While keeping the proportion of the original, we added square footage tucked behind the house. The new house on the old footprint has an intimate scale, and is lined in completely in straight-grain pine. The new floor area is built out in plaster and has a higher roof that twists to respond to the cliff and cups to collect rainwater. A continuous clerestory window between the two roofs lets in southern light along the length of the bedrooms. Many materials were designed and developed specifically for this project: a gravel-cast concrete topping slab, over-scale pine board doors, insulated tube skylights, as well as the cast concrete cladding at the entry. The house achieved a 5-star rating from Austin Energy’s Green Building program; sustainable design features include photovoltaic panels, a ‘cool’ roof, icynine foam insulation, rainwater collection (tank is in the tool shed down the hill), landscaping with native plants and drip irrigation.

Be sure to visit the vegetable garden up the hill!

4502 Balcones Drive
Austin, TX 78731

Architect, Designer and Home Owner:
Elizabeth Alford
Pollen Architecture & Design
www.pollenarchitecture.com
Meet Elizabeth Alford

About this Home:
3 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
2,800 sq ft

Go to Modern Home Tour Gallery

From 2012 Featured Architect Elizabeth Alford:

Q. What specific details should visitors look for when walking through your home; what makes this home unique?

A. The entry is really unusual; this was left from the original house on the site. You enter from below, up a stair dug into the hill at the back; you’re covered by roof, but not inside yet. It’s usually cooler here with a draw of air because its open. When you arrive at the front door you’ve turned and are looking out at treetops; it’s a nice contrast.

There’s also a contrast between the warmer, more intimate rooms lined in wood and the brighter, more spacious rooms done in plaster – one side looks down, one looks up. The long clerestory throws nice light across the ceiling and gives glimpses of treetops.

Try to find the diffusers; they’re detailed in a way so they’re really unobtrusive.
The concrete tiles Michael made for the entry are fantastic in the light coming from above; they’re really amazing at about 1:00.
Green features: pv’s on roof, rainwater collection (tank is in toolshed)
And make sure you see the vegetable garden!

Presented By

Designed for a young family, this home sits comfortably on its site and within its neighborhood. Special attention was paid to reconcile the family’s modern sensibilities with the neighborhood’s traditional character. The resulting design approach was to create a Classic home that balanced characteristics of modern and traditional homes.

At 3,800 square feet this gracious family home contains 5 Bedrooms and 5 full Baths. Designed to accommodate guests and extended family, there are two guest suites in the home. These guest suites can also be used as offices. The home also includes a dedicated play area for children and a Library.

104 Thistle Court
Austin, TX 78733

Architect: Eric Brown
Thoughtcrib, Inc.
thoughtcrib.com/
Meet Eric Brown

Builder: Wes Wigginton
Foursquare Builders, LLC
www.foursquarebuilders.com

About this Home:
5 bedrooms
5 bathrooms
3,800 sq ft

Go to the Modern Home Tour Gallery

From Featured Architect Eric Brown

Q: What specific details should visitors look for when walking through your home; what makes this home unique?

A: This home is designed for casual family living. Spaces are simple, open, and connected to the outdoors. Simple, durable materials are used to articulate and enrich the design.

The home design employs and integrates passive and active solar design strategies and technologies.
- The home is lit primarily with natural light during the day
- Two large roof mounted PV arrays produce power during the day
- A large roof mounted water heating system is used for the pool

In addition to being the protective cover of the home, the roof is also a massive resource collecting device – all rainwater is harvested, solar energy is converted into power or hot water. Likewise, the back porch, in addition to being the primary outdoor living space for the family, is a device used to mitigate solar heat gain on the west facing portion of the home.

Presented By

The 2012 Austin Modern Home Tour is four weeks away, and in this week’s update of 800 W Oltorf Street you can see that they’re moving closer and closer to the home’s completion! The exterior staircase is built, the yard is cleared, light fixtures hang from the ceilings, a refrigerator sits in the living room and the kitchen has counters and a dining room table! Change is in the details. Be sure to check back next Monday to see the little home improvements!

Designed by featured architect Jay Hargrave, this 2800 sq ft Clear Link residence provides expanded living spaces that unite indoor and outdoor living.

The project is a substantial addition to a small Westlake residence where everyone involved in the project liked the design of the original house and believed it was an asset to the owners and the community. Maintaining its integrity was therefore very important. While we all liked the original house design, continuing the same style for the addition was not in the program.

The original house and the bedroom addition are separated and connected by a new transparent bar that functions as living and office spaces. This new bedroom wing engages the transparent bar to provide separation between the open living room and office.

This project utilizes a structural steel frame, which allowed us to execute details such as the floating living roof with seven-foot overhangs that taper to a stainless steal point.

The addition was designed around an existing pool that was remodeled and became a focal point for the living room courtyard.

1119 Redbud Trail
Westlake, TX 78746

Architect: Jay Hargrave
Cottam Hargrave
www.cottamhargrave.com/
Meet Jay Hargrave

About this Home:
3 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
3,000 sq ft

Go to the Modern Home Tour Gallery

From featured Architect Jay Hargrave:

Q: What specific details should visitors look for when walking through your home; what makes this home unique?

A:
-The front gate: designed and fabricated by our firm. The gate is fabricated from woven steel and weighs approximately 900 lbs.
-The floating Clearlink roof: The roof is a two-way steel truss system that eliminates the need for drop beams allowing for the uninterrupted transition of the exterior ceiling plane as it moves outside and terminates into a thin stainless steel edge.
-Integration of systems: HVAC supply is concealed between the transition of the cedar and the painted areas of the ceiling. The small linear dropped soffit houses indirect lighting that is augmented by regularly spaced halogen spots.
-Low maintenance: There is no paint on the exterior of the house. The roof is copper and stainless steel. The walls are natural stucco, copper and glass.

Presented by Title Sponsor,