M. C. Spross

This is an individual project executed over a four week period during the Fall 2008 semester. This residence on a quarter plot in Austin, Texas is the residence of an eccentric couple. The husband is a folk musician and the wife is a prominent artist in the Latin American art world. In additions they are both nudists. The house is based on a plan that emphasizes natural heating and cooling and separates public and private space. The house has three thermal zones: The western wing, which contains the kitchen, living, dinning, and utilities as well as a half bath, the eastern wing, which contains the private master suit and the husband's home recording studio, and the centrally located screen porch between the two wings. The western, public wing is angled to catch the wind that blows from the south-east during from spring to mid august. The three large, operable windows allow the breeze to circulate through the room and out the awning windows located at the top of the opposite wall. This creates a room that can be cooled naturally by the breeze for most of the year and sealed off and conditioned on the days when the weather outside is too extreme. There is a Nanawall between this wing and the screen porch that can be folded back to make the space one continuous living area. The space is very flexible with only a few fixed cabinets and an island that serves a duel purpose as a dinner table. In addition the awning windows on the north west facing walls are shielded from the western sun during summer months by three large pecan trees native to the site and when the leave fall off in the winter western light helps provide natural heat. The east wing has a natural ventilation scheme similar to that of the wester side with the exception of the recoding studio. This small space has to be conditioned most of the time due to the sensitive nature of the equipment and the high humidity levels of the area. However, the master suit can be naturally cooled by the southeastern breeze most of the year. The windows on this side of the south facade are smaller and placed lower so that a person walking by can not see into this private space. The difference in window pattern in both wings is meant to emphasis the difference between the public and private aspects of the house. The screen porch between both wings serves as both the entrance to the house and a great place to lounge clothed or otherwise with enough privacy to slip something on if you hear someone coming down the dirt drive. On the few very cold days of the year the screens can be covered by a series of quilted tapestries the wife made. The screen porch also serves as a transition to the hub of activity for any party the couple has, the porch amphitheater. The space is the focal point for the house and is accessible from any of the three thermal zones. It is designed to make an ideal space for impromptu concerts of the husband's music to guests. The house sits lightly on the site using a post and pier foundation of wood, steel, and a small amount of fly ash concrete. The house is made mostly of wood milled in Texas with the flooring, decking and cabinetry being pine and the interior walls being white plywood. The low pitched roof is made of corrugated metal that helps reflect much of the suns heat during the summer.