“The floor plan separates the volumes in such a clean and modernistic manner that in all of its interior and exterior spaces, no two volumes clash. The whole plan blends together very skillfully, and the materials also separate very skillfully.”
— Paola Calzada
Location Center Point
Client Stephen & Susan Butt
Architect Lake|Flato Architects
Design Team Ted Flato, FAIA, Laura Jensen, AIA, Megan Toma, AIA, Sam Xu, AIA, Camille Lane
Contractor Duecker Construction
Civil Engineer Givler Engineering
Structural Engineer Structural Design Consulting
Mechanical Engineer Positive Energy
Landscape Architect Studio Outside
Interior Designer Schooler, Kellogg & Co.
Building Enclosure Consultant Acton Partners
Lighting Consultant Mike Moss Design
AV Consultant Sterling Home Technologies
POE Consultant Engineered Projects Consulting
A secluded, pastoral landscape nestled within a large creek bend provides a perfect site for a private family retreat. The house structures — separate bedrooms connected to shared living spaces through an outdoor walkway — are pushed to the edges and spaced apart to maintain the experience of discovering a hidden clearing. Cypress wood siding is used on the interiors and exteriors, and local Lueders limestone and board-formed concrete anchor the main fireplace and buildings partially buried in the hillside. With a 12.8-kW solar array on the carport roof and two Tesla batteries, the house can sustain itself through power outages and offset its energy use. The buildings float mostly above grade, allowing for the occasional floodwaters to pass through.