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Tortilla Flats is situated in the hinterland between disciplines, beyond the frontier of good taste, in the sleepy village of Austin.
Mixed use development with 145 multigenerational housing units and retail.
With Andrew Mack
The simple layout of buildings on the site belies a generosity of space. The wide courtyard creates a community space, while the narrow alley ensures a shaded passageway.
The project proposes a space for living that eschews the standards of market-driven residential development in two ways: through alternative apartment typologies and hybrid construction logic.
"This is the story of Danny and of Danny's friends and of Danny's house. It is a story of how these three become one thing... when you speak of Danny's house you are to understand to mean a unit of which the parts are men, from which comes sweetness and joy, philanthropy and, in the end, a mystic sorrow."
Tortilla Flat . John Steinbeck . 1935
An entrepreneurial couple uses the studio unit as an intimate live / work space. Their personal living area is contained in the bar of masonry construction, keeping the framed portion tidy for hosting lessons and workshops.
The generous glazing brings in ample daylight, while the robust materiality of the brick cladding imbues the space with character.
The C-Unit makes the most of its limited size by providing 3 formal rooms, and a master suite in addition to shared living space.
The space is able to flexibly transition with the needs of a non-traditional or multigenerational family. Rooms can be furnished into bedrooms or studies depending on current occupancy.
A micro live-in unit embedded within a larger apartment gives the personnel both immediacy as well as privacy needed for long term elderly care. The primary occupany and assistant share a common entrance, but can part ways if further assitance is not need.
Similarly the unit can be rented to family, friends, or even out of town visitors in order to alleviate someone else’s financial burden or generate additional income from rent.
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