This home, designed by Pollen Architecture & Design and located in Austin, Texas, is an example of the power of materials, and how it really behooves designers and home owners to not just try the cheapest thing they can find, but listen the bones of a house and the personality of its users to determine what sort of materials, inside and out, the structure should be clad in.
From the Modern Home Tour Austin: “The house has the feel of a treehouse, perched on the edge of a fractured limestone cliff, which is a part of the eschelon of the Balcones fault. Rooms look either downhill into the tops of trees in the ravine below or uphill into the rock gardens behind the house.”
“We rebuilt and re-conceived a house originally on the site, designed in 1957 by Jonathan Bowman. We kept the site strategy of the original house, as well as its limestone rubble walls; we also wanted to maintain its modest Case-Study era scale. The house was redesigned with a steel structure and significantly larger with different window openings. Most of the windows slide completely away to one side, allowing direct connection to the outside. The airflow up the hill draws air through the house in most months.”
How much do you love this house? Just let us know in the comments.









This looks like a much nicer tree house than most 10 year old boys can build! What amazing views it must have. A very cool redesign.
Hah! So true! And I bet it does have stunning views!
I thought this was the best home on the homes tour. Great use of exterior materials. Living room completely opened with a NanaWall. This house was begging for a pool.
I was a total jerk and missed the tour last year. REGRET. This would have been my favorite one for sure.
Ah, the light! The light coming into the spaces is so beautiful. To me, it is the most special aspect of the design.
There is some stunning light in there, for sure! And you’re very right; light is vital to a beautiful interior or architectural space. Really, one of the most important.