The Carved Cube House located in West Austin, is the result of a subtractive process. The original volume, a perfect cube of 38′×38′×38′, was deconstructed with subtle level changes, carefully placed windows, and outdoor terraces shaded by cantilevered louvers, which open up the space as one ascends towards the sky. Trellises recreate the original massing of the cube while shading the exterior space from the harsh Texas sun.
The home’s circulation occurs on a skewed axis following the relationship and orientation of the existing house below. The narrow three story entry axial canyon brings natural light deep into the heart of the house. Dramatic shadows cast on the interior canyon walls quietly revealing the passage of time. The skewed axis combined with the constant compression and release through the house creates a very dynamic space.
The house is situated on a steep hillside above a dry creek. Its formal genesis is threefold, with naturalistic, historic and programmatic forces shaping the house concurrently. In relation to its natural setting, the house resembles large limestone boulders often chanced upon in the hill country. Their natural beauty is sculpted by gradual wind and water erosion over millions of years.
Historically this house is an attempt to explore the textile block legacy of Wright’s work. His stone lantern made from a single textile block for the Freeman house served as inspiration. The notion that the DNA of a house can be captured in a single building block, establishing a relationship between the whole and the parts seemed to be a marginalized idea worth investigating.
These ideas were overlaid with the logistical and programmatic requirement of the clients, as well as relationship to the geometry of the existing building below.
Even though the sizable lot is close to an acre, the narrow shape and tight building setback lines imposed stringent restriction on the building envelope.