Design Program A couple with two young children asked us to remodel their house to suit their family with a limited budget. The house was originally built in ~1909 and in 1926 became the home of Lavina and Deacon Walter Jones, an African American civic and business leader who is highly regarded as an entrepreneurial pioneer in the East Austin community. Now, East Austin continues to gentrify at a rapid pace, driving the pre-existing community out of Austin.

Design Solution As architects, we understand without complimentary policy, we have little power to resist the negative effects of gentrification. Our design leans into what we can do: respect and connect to history and culture in a way that might incentivize people in the community to stay. Therefore, our goal was to preserve and enhance the beauty and character of the original house by rebuilding an addition that satisfies the family’s needs. The design highlights the original structure rather than blending the two together, as the previous addition had, while also bridging the difference between the original house and the metal clad garage apartment, which were constructed of vastly different materials, size, and scale.

The concept extends the original entry foyer and porch as an interior/exterior mixer that creates a performative, biophilic “greenhouse” patio mitigating climate conditions while bringing privacy to the added bedrooms and bathrooms.