Architects: McKinney York Architects
Project: Ridge Oak Residence
Location: Austin, Texas, United States
Photography: Leonid Furmansky
From the architect: Our clients purchased this site high on a ridge overlooking Lake Austin and the Pennybacker Bridge. The property came with a house which proved ill-matched to their needs but which nestled neatly amid beautiful live oaks. In choosing to commission a new home, they asked that it also tuck under the limbs of the oaks and maintain a subdued presence to the street.
Extraordinary efforts such as cantilevered floors and even bridging over critical root zones allow the design to be truly fitted to the site and to co-exist with the trees, the grandest of which is the focal point of the entry courtyard. Of equal importance to the trees and view was to provide, conversely, for walls to display 35 paintings and numerous books. From form to smallest detail, the Ridge Oak residence is quiet and subtle.
