Casa Lotus

Situated between a sloping limestone bluff and a private lagoon, Casa Lotus blends materiality, landscape, and light into a cohesive architectural experience that feels grounded, elegant, and deeply connected to its environment. Roman brick—chosen for its durability, texture, versatility, and warmth—serves as the fundamental design module, informing proportions, rhythms, and materiality throughout, from floor heights and column spacing to stairs and wall articulation.

The arrival sequence includes a winding driveway leading to a dramatic entrance defined by 25-foot-tall brick columns, evoking the sensation of walking through a narrow canyon. These columns extend into stairs, retaining walls, and planters that visually anchor the structure to the sloping site.

Inside, a central atrium offers a spatial release, with a sloped plaster ceiling rising to a round oculus and a 40-foot-high skylight formed by folded planes. This vertical volume becomes a defining exterior spire, while the floor plan radiates outward from this core, organized by four axial masonry walls: The screen wall, lined with vertical windows, filters western sunlight. The wave wall subtly curves through the public spaces and aligns with a bald cypress tree, ending at a sculptural art studio. The stair wall follows a wooden staircase that echoes the brick’s proportions. The privacy wall separates service and guest areas from the main spaces.

Materially, Roman brick dominates, with terrazzo and tile on lower levels and wood upstairs. Deep cantilevers shade large windows framing the landscape. The great room, kitchen, primary suite, and outdoor areas open toward the lagoon. Additional spaces include a trio of south-facing bedrooms, home theater, office, guest suite, and wellness facilities including a gym, spa, and sauna.

PROJECT
Casa Lotus

LOCATION
Austin, Texas

SCOPE
New Construction

PHOTOGRAPHY
Rafael Gamo