The Deck House, located on a very steep site commanding spectacular views of the Hill Country, is a new house added to the back side of an existing residence of a family of six in Austin, Texas. The Deck House is not connected to the existing residence and has independent access from the street, constituting a separate house. As such, it is conceived autonomously and in a contrasting vocabulary from the original house. The Deck House transports the owners to a different experience: a weekend house, a vacation house in the woods, right in their back yard.

The owner requirements were twofold: To provide a large, outside, gathering space, and to accommodate new entertainment spaces, a bedroom, and a wine cellar.

The design addresses both objectives with the creation of a singular structure: a wooden “waffle-slab”. This structure, which extends 45 feet over the cliff, supports the new deck at the upper level and hovers over the entertaining spaces of the lower level. The structure, with its sweeping design, embraces the landscape. It also enhances the openness of the lower level as it projects from inside to outside providing overhangs in all directions.

The gridded structure is the most challenging aspect of this project and the architect developed a design strategy that stems from the full expression of it. The rigorous implementation of this approach was carried through from the general layout of the spaces to the light fixtures and furniture design.