two birds canyon

A project for two empty-nesters near Lake Belton. The property is a gently sloping pasture that falls suddenly into a beautiful limestone canyon. The house is cut into the earth to minimize its impact on the landscape, and cantilevered over the cliff to maximize the impact of the canyon view. 

The result is a deliberate study in degrees of objecthood, on both an additive tectonic level and a symbolic descriptive level. The entry sequence begins with the approach to the more traditional utility building, which houses a garage and guest quarters. Meanwhile, the main house is buried and obscured by trees at several stages of the approach. Only once you are in the sunken entry courtyard and driveway does the canyon view reveal itself, simultaneously with the presentation of the house’s large stone tower. Even though the tower is the center of the house’s perception of objectness, few of the main functions are within it. Instead, the living functions of the house are buried in the earth behind it, or pushed to the edge of the cliff in front of it. 

The resulting form is a blend of the vernacular low-sloped gable form and the modern functional expressionism that define our physical and cultural context. 

Project by JHA. Aaron Denton Co-Designer and Co-Construction Manager