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Second and third Floor Plans 1 Bedroom 2 Bathroom 3 Dining 4 Wine Storage 5 Kitchen 6 Laundry 7 Elevator 8 Mechanical 9 living room 10 Deck 11 Powder Room
First Floor Plan 1 Entry 2 Library 3 Patio 4 Garage 5 Storage 6 Courtyard 7 Elevator 6 7
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from a stand of giant bamboo just outside, while a band of clear glass directs attention to a private garden. Rough shards of granite pass through the glass from outside to an interior granite fountain. “The ground floor is cooler, darker, grounded,” says Alter. “It’s very much of the earth.” The bottom floor holds a library, garage, and storage area, as well as access to a courtyard and a separate patio. The second floor, complete with formal dining room, catering kitchen, and wine cellar, as well as three bedrooms, offers its own experience, encased as it is in a wooden box—a broad ipe rain screen of vertical slats that curves around the exterior. From the dining room, two 10-and-a-half-foot sections of the screen dramatically unfold to reveal breath-taking of Austin’s extensive greenbelt and the cityscape beyond. This operable opening in the rain screen demonstrates Alter’s fascination with transitions between inside and out, which he saw as an opportunity for a dramatic thrill. “It’s amazing to see how people react to that screen being opened. There’s always a gasp,” he says. “This house is all about looking out,” adds Alter, who took pains with the design to downplay the view to the west, with its unsightly power lines and neighboring houses above, and keep the focus on views to the north, south, and east. The third floor delivers the best views, enhanced by an uninterrupted ceiling plane in the living area. Uplighting from a large island that holds all the kitchen appliances helps illuminate the room without the use of typical ceiling fixtures, and adds to the loft-like feeling of the space. Through
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