Lake Conroe Project
Lake Conroe, Texas - 4,000 Square Feet
Situated on a point at lands end, bracketed
with mature white oak and lob lolly pine trees, this west
facing one acre lot on Lake Conroe presented dramatic sunsets
for viewing but the design challenge of blocking the harsh
sun and it's reflections. A celebration of primal forces (earth/
air/ water/ light) coaxes the visitor through the metaphorical
entry courtyard, portal and interior gallery until revealing
a surprising quarter circle wall of glass celebrating the
lake beyond.
The architect's design solution for this
residential compound features a conical shaped metal roof
which becomes lower to the ground and creates a deeper overhang
as it rotates towards the west for the purpose of protecting
the 10 foot tall glass within.
The client's desire was to incorporate a
¼ round circle into the heart of the floor plan. The
architect used, as a generator for form and volume, a series
of arcs and circles in both plan and elevation. The two primary
apexes of the plan were also used to help situate the pool
and develop a scoring pattern for the stained concrete floors
throughout.
To lend privacy and a sense of mystery,
a stone walled entry courtyard defines an auto court and tucks
within the existing 200 year old white oak trees. A 105 foot
linear stone wall runs through the center of the house to
organize space, create zones and lend permanence and weight
to an otherwise light and airy space. Seeded with fossils,
petrified wood and crystals collected during the owner's travels,
the wall has an sense that it has been on the site for a century.
Designed as a lake house for entertaining friends and family,
the kitchen, living and dining rooms share the ¼ round
circle room with the primary view of the lake 80 feet away.
The reticence of the private master and
quest suites is in dialogue with the exuberance of the public
spaces, with the soaring sloped ceiling of the Living/ Dining/
Sitting areas declaring primacy and staking out the position
of the Heart and Soul of the structure.
The west facing wrap-around verandah gives
the public living areas and the private suites and bunk rooms
access to covered outdoor rooms, the barbeque island, pool
and lake and the passive solar protection a house with this
expanse of glass needs. A redwood and copper sheathed screened
porch, along with the rooftop terrace above, round out the
options for enjoying the fabulous sunsets which are a regular
occurrence.
Upstairs a home office for the owner and
an entertainment room for the children separate the two kid's
bunk rooms. Each sleeping at least six , the boy's and girl's
bunk rooms were designed for the out of town children and
their friends and are contained within the half barrel vault
2nd story volumes.
This dynamism of form [the collaborative
wills of the client's courage, the architect's vision and
the builder's finesse] all coincide in a moment-in-time creation
that speaks to man's need for a dialogue with nature.
see lake conroe photo gallery [+]
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