Location Austin
Architect MJ Neal Architect
Design Team MJ Neal, FAIA
The client requested their single-car garage be converted into a new playroom that opens onto the side yard of their property. The architect conceived of a space that can be engaged for play by young and “old” children while merging the inside and outside into a symbiotic relationship. The existing house’s lines and materials established an intimate urban scale in a neighborhood now being consumed by unsympathetic renovations and McMansions, and the team worked to respect the intent of the original architect, a well-known mid-century modernist. It was also important for both client and architect to incorporate the project within the community at large, and so the folding deck becomes the “front porch,” providing the possibility for interaction with one’s neighbors as they pass by.