9 minute read
Future Present p
he pairing of UT’s outstanding architecture school and the ever-evolving, youthful city of Austin creates a harmonious balance. Some of the school’s most promising students — such as Bella Chou, Will Hachtman and Coleman Brink — are already at work redefining the capital city’s architectural landscape. Last year, this trio teamed up for a project in their Advanced Design Studio class and won the UT School of Architecture Design Excellence Award, an accolade earned by the votes of first their peers and later a panel of jurors.
“The idea was to think about what the campus might be like in 25 to 50 years, and how we might integrate new technologies, like drone technologies and robotic technologies,” says Professor Kory Bieg. The building that Chou, Hachtman and Brink designed envisioned a futuristic, dystopian and eerily prescient setting for an educational setting, in which students would be confined to tiny rooms — “learning pods,” according to Hachtman — disconnected from social interaction with teachers or other students.
“We were taking this project to the extreme for a reason,” Chou says. “We know that this is a possible future, and we’re addressing how discomforting it could be.” Think of it as a hyper-talented group of pandemic-weary college students waving a red flag about what the future might hold. The creation was made possible in part by using advanced modeling tools and programs.
“The team started the project by looking at artificial intelligence and machine learning, using the computer to help generate space, aesthetics, materiality, all the things that go into architecture, seeing if the computer could take on some of the tasks a designer usually does,” says Bieg. Despite the trio’s unsettling view of future college life, the cutting-edge tools they used portend a future that makes work faster and less labor-intensive for the next era of architects. Brink previously worked with such innovative technologies in an internship at Morphosis, a renowned firm in Los Angeles.
When not playing doomsday prophets, all three of these talented young minds are already at work shaping the architecture of our future for the better. Hachtman has begun a job with Hunt Architecture, working on all stages of projects from the finishing touches onsite to the first drafts of plans based on land codes. The firm works primarily on residential and small commercial projects. Hachtman dreams of one day creating a creative workspace that brings together minds from across disciplines to foster innovation.
“Austin’s got the young, optimistic, hopeful vibe still, where planning and change are still achievable goals, compared to other cities,” Hachtman says. “Health, green spaces, community spaces, spaces we can inhabit that aren’t so mundane and oppressive are things that Austin can achieve.”
Meanwhile, Chou, currently working with award-winning Austin firm Murray Legge Architecture, says UT prepared her to sway trends within the current world of architecture by challenging her internal biases as a designer.
“The great thing about these conversations is that people are more aware that architecture and other disciplines in general need to be more inclusive,” she says. After substitute teaching for a year between undergrad and her master’s program at UT, she says it would be rewarding to one day design a school that responds acutely to the needs of learners. With Austin’s rapid and unabated growth, the city could certainly provide that opportunity. Whatever path she takes, her hope for the future is to make design more accessible and to explore “a deeper, more nuanced understanding of architecture’s role within the fabric of societal power structures.” For now, Brink is working on an internship in New York, designing luxury residential spaces in the Hamptons. As for long term plans, he’s inspired by the work of Icon, a company founded in Austin that developed a 3-D printing technology to quickly and affordably produce housing for the homeless in East Austin. Icon will soon begin work on a 3-D printed building planned to house astronauts for long-term missions on Mars. It seems the sky being the limit is passé for architects of the future. Bieg, who describes these three students as “some of the best we’ve had in a while,” says they stand out in part because of their prowess with emerging technologies and their diversified skill sets. He explains that the resources of UT’s School of Architecture allow students to engage with new tools — robotic arms and large 3-D printers, for example — that are redefining what’s possible. His hope is that these students take their understanding of these new resources into more traditional firms and challenge them to incorporate them into their approach to architecture. soa.utexas.edu
Home on the Range
THESE AUSTIN HOMEOWNERS TRY A DIFFERENT SORT OF HOUSE FLIPPING
By Veronica Meewes Photos by Casey Dunn
ARCHITECTS MATT FAJKUS AND SARAH Johnson faced a unique challenge when renovating this house, originally built as part of a 1980s Home Owners Association development. The dwelling, which they call the Inverse House, sits on the 14th hole of Austin Country Club’s golf course, so the goal was to invert the relationship between public and private. In doing so, the kitchen, dining room and living spaces are elevated to the second floor, while the private family spaces are tucked below it. And in lieu of looking out onto a private backyard, the house opens up to the public golf course, with large windows framing unobstructed views of green rolling hills.
“The view to the east over the golf course was an important starting point, but the main goal was to design comfortable and functional spaces,” explains Fajkus, the principal architect behind Matt Fajkus Architecture, which focuses on sustainable residential design. “This required creative ways to capture daylight from above through skylights, from the side through a new pocket courtyard and with expansive openings to the east, over the golf course.”
By implementing an open floor plan and lots of bold, clean lines, the formerly shadowy and segmented interior was transformed into a roomy, sunlit space while adhering to the HOA guidelines requiring opaque stone side walls. Fajkus and Johnson chose to pull the interior functions of the home away from the exterior walls to create both circulation space and light wells. And plenty of patio space — including a pool surrounded by built-in succulent planters — creates indoor-outdoor connections and many opportunities for gathering.
“Every custom residence design and construction process has challenges, since we’re effectively
creating a one-off prototype that has never been done before,” says Fajkus. “However, we collaborated very well with Melde Construction Company and Lindsey Hanna Design to creatively solve every challenge, from the building assembly process to coordinating material finish selections.”
The Inverse House brings the outside in with its implementation of natural materials showcased through minimal design: Texas limestone walls, white oak flooring, stained maple cabinetry, plaster shower walls and unfinished brass fixtures contrast while complementing modern steel railings, metal panels and glass.
“The clients, Leah and Chris Petri, have said that they are so enamored with the final products, they wake up every day and have to pinch themselves for being so lucky to live in the house,” says Fajkus. mfarchitecture.com
Desert Serenity
EAST AUSTIN MEETS NORTH AFRICA IN THIS MODERN MOROCCAN-INSPIRED DWELLING
By Veronica Meewes Photos by Andrea Calo
AS AUSTIN CONTINUES TO BECOME MORE POPULATED AND lively, homeowners are seeking solace in the center of the urban oasis. The designers behind the aptly named Casa Marrakech use artful Moorish sensibilities to create a feeling of tuckedaway tranquility in the middle of a quickly growing East Austin neighborhood. The entire property features a two-story structure, single story casita and carport bounding the rear alley and opening up into a courtyard. In order to maximize the space around a tree in the center of the lot, the walled riads of Morocco were discussed early in the design stage.
“The clients are staunch aficionados of modernism,” explains architect Thomas Bercy, one half of Bercy Chen Studio, an architecture and urban planning practice with design-build capabilities headquartered with offices in Austin, Taipei and Mexico City. “They were attracted to a minimalistic aesthetic but were intrigued by more exotic cultural precedents. Their love of travel became a source of inspiration for the project.”
Bercy followed ancient Moorish architectural principles of privacy, flowing water and habitable flat roofs plus design elements like a mashrabiya latticework privacy screen and clean-cut geometric lines intended to modernize and simplify the ensemble. A swimming pool animates the courtyard with trickling sounds and dancing light reflections, and the xeroscaped front yard and courtyard employ draught-resistant plant life one could just as easily find in northern Africa or Central Texas.
The interior similarly exudes pristine minimalism, with streamlined fixtures, wide windows letting in plenty of natural light, and a limited material palette. Soothing white oak and white epoxy flooring, as well as marble tiling and backsplash, provide a canvas to display the homeowner’s colorful art pieces and furniture. And an open floor plan and low, open staircase make the entire space seem even airier than 1,800 square feet.
“Minimalism requires a precision of execution of the construction that can be more challenging than conventional projects,” says Bercy. “That said, the fact that the clients were familiar with construction and real estate made the process very smooth.” bcarc.com
