OFFbeat

OFFbeat represents a vision for the future where existing structures are seen as living histories and not relics.

A derelict, storybook 1930’s cottage in a local historic district, was challenged by a 4-foot slope with two heritage oaks in the middle of the property. Reinventing the home embraced whimsy, adding a shed-inspired, cypress, concrete, and glass addition with a curved metal roof, skewed to the original house.

Site
Narrow and primary gardens bookend a permeable, cantilevered living space with a 35ft-long concrete bench, protecting trees and watershed. Room-size terraces with native plants settle the house into the land.

Addition
Parallel to the side yard edges and skewed to the original house.

Honoring History
‍Opening the flat ceiling in the asymmetric front entry gable to reveal the complex roof structure with white, modern planes, joins its exterior idiosyncrasies to the interior. A one-inch-wide fixture illuminates up to bounce light for a wider, softer quality.

Light
‍Light matches circadian cycles revealing a mutable set of rhythms. LED down-light strips set flush in the gallery ceiling, follow the skew of the new addition. Variability in lumens and temperature illuminates the rough cypress-clad walls and the artwork equally. Treating them as peers makes the art ordinary and the ordinary art, allowing the owners to enjoy their collection and architecture in an intimate relationship that is personal and meaningful.

Bonding to Nature
‍OFFbeat pulls the addition close to the live oaks in the center of the property setting the living spaces and studio between narrow and primary gardens. This offers views of trees, southeast to northwest breezes, and dappled light while sitting on the bench under the canopies. Seeing trees as part of its urban forest, deepens the relationship of personal to communal stewardship.

Awards:
2026 AIA National Housing Award
2024 AIA Austin Design Award of Excellence