After years of weekend visits and time spent getting to intimately know their site, the clients’ main charge was to realize a house which would allow them to use and enjoy the land to its fullest. Located in the rolling landscape of Wimberley, Texas, it was only natural to take advantage of the miniature plateaus contained within the 22-acre lot. These “land shelves” span across the site in the east-west direction making them an ideal platform for a house which takes advantage of both solar and wind orientation.
The house is organized in a linear fashion along a primary narrow land shelf between a beautifully tree covered hillside and the open rolling hills. The program is divided with thickened walls which are intended to collect private areas and enclose the storage zones needed in the house. Low-lying roofs follow the contours of the site and span from one thickened wall to the next. These overhangs are calibrated for passive solar heating in the winter and full shade from the summer sun.
The volume containing the owners’ suite steps down the site, creating a sense of enclosure for the outdoor living spaces and a private enclosed garden. Ultimately, the thickened walls used to organize program create interior spaces unobstructed by structure or partitions, allowing the house to be easily penetrated by breezes, filled with natural daylight, and open to the views available on the site. The materiality of the project is concentrated, regional, and meant to provide comfort and shelter when the elements are extreme, yet their solidity dissolves when the house is opened up.
