T
HE TERM MAX LEVY, FAIA, USES TO DESCRIBE THE WEEKEND HOUSE HE DESIGNED FOR SINGING BELL RANCH is “ranch pragmatism.” The clients asked for a design that was functional and simple, which Levy provided in the form of an elongated rectangle oriented on an eastwest axis to catch the prevailing breezes.“This is really a very elegant project,” remarked juror David Salmela, FAIA, on the architect’s design. “It takes on the vocabulary of the vernacular ranch buildings that we relate to as Texas, but this building has been brought to another level of sophistication without appearing to be pretentious or overly luxurious.” The project’s name derives from a bell salvaged from charred ruins of the original ranch house. The bell was used to call the ranch hands at mealtimes. Mentioned in passing to the architect, the artifact became the project’s conceptual and physical centerpiece. In the new house, the bell hangs high in the ceiling of the main breezeway. On the roof directly above stands a weather vane adjacent to a skylight that slots to the south and visually links the two elements. The weather vane’s shaft passes through the roof, with a wheel affixed horizontally below the ceiling. Spokes extend from the wheel to strike the bell as the wind changes. The plan is consistently one room deep and configured as a linear series of spaces, a procession of enclosures joined by internal breeze-
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T E X A S
A R C H I T E C T
r e s o u r c e s custom bell weathervane and architectural metal work : translucent barn door material :
element;
wood trusses :
Rushin Truss;
American Acrylic Corp.; membrane roofing : Carlisle Coatings & Waterproof-
ing; unit skylights : Skyline Sky-lites; kitchen appliances : Subzero, Wolf (Jarell Distributors); plumbing : Rohl (TKO); light fixtures : Hevi-Lite, Rab (City Lights)
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