City Park Residence
Exploring perspective, City Park Residence balances expansive and intimate views. Designed by Alterstudio Architecture, the project makes a compelling case for its own longevity.
Set along a natural slope overlooking Downtown Austin, City Park Residence responds to an open brief in which trust is given to experience. The clients’ only requests were a handful of bedrooms to accommodate extended family and areas well-suited to private concerts. “Though we met the clients at another project of ours, they didn’t prescribe any detail to us,” says Kevin Alter, principal at Alterstudio Architecture. “They could’ve lived in a smaller home than the one we delivered but we wanted to build a house that future generations wouldn’t tear down.” The result consists of two masonry wings bridged together by a section containing the living room, dining room and upstairs terraces.
Residents reach the house via a winding path that ends in a circular driveway. A walk through the adjoining garden leads to a bridge extending to the front door. Inside, the two residential wings unfold. “To the left is the kitchen, family office and garage – below which are some secondary bedrooms – while to the east sit the primary bedroom and a couple of offices,” says Alter. Between the wings, the dining room is acoustically tuned to complement its secondary function as a concert space. The connective section provides shade for the outdoor living area below – complete with a kitchen and fireplace, this shaded area forms the ideal space to entertain during the warmer months.
Continuing past the windows, the floors and ceilings of City Park Residence draw attention to its outlooks. “As views can be normalised – being seen every day – residents are at risk of becoming indifferent to the location,” says Alter. “To avoid this, we’ve configured the house to offer an extraordinary urban view from one direction and an intimate hillside view from another. The juxtaposition of these conditions allows residents to enjoy a liminal position that recognises what is special about each.” In the upstairs porch, an oculus is crafted to foster this experience. Placed at the junction of two geometries, the feature reveals a small patch of sky that contrasts the panoramic lateral views.
“An architecturally designed home is inevitably like a film, where the viewer is brought through a sequence of places and moods,” says Alter. Through a choreography of grand and modest perspectives, Alterstudio Architecture guides residents towards an active appreciation of place.
Architecture and interior design by Alterstudio Architecture. Build by Rauser Construction. Landscape design by Hocker.
