Edgecliff Residence is a project designed by Miró Rivera Architects. Taking advantage of its unique site in Austin?s eclectic Travis Heights neighborhood on the southern shores of Lady Bird Lake, the Edgecliff Residence is a play on contrasts: light and shadow, open and closed, organic and orthogonal. Designed for a couple of empty-nesters on a modest budget, the home?s contemporary aesthetic is balanced by the desire to respect the scale of the existing neighborhood. Photography by Ibai Rigby and Miró Rivera Architects.

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Like the houses around it, the dwelling occupies a small lot on a quiet residential street. The design responds to its narrow site with an unusual, trapezoidal floor plan that is essentially one bay deep. The residence is divided into three levels in order to maximize views, with guest quarters at ground level, living spaces on the second floor, and the master suite at the highest level. From the street, the Edgecliff Residence is characterized by a rainscreen made of galvanized electrical conduit?an inventive, low-cost solution that addresses several practical needs. Made up of 84 shop-fabricated panels, the majority of which follow a modular width of 3?-6?, the pipe screen provides shade and privacy while filtering and diffusing sunlight.
Beyond fulfilling these practical roles, the rainscreen is an artistic element that playfully reflects its particular setting. Throughout the day, the volume enclosed by the screen is alterna...