Annie Residence / Alter Studio

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Text description provided by the architects. Two blocks east of South Congress Avenue, almost at the top of the gentle rise from Ladybird Lake, the Annie House takes its circumstance as the primary motivation for its form. The elevation combined with the presence of a small church yard directly across the street suggested the possibilities of downtown views in perpetuity from a second floor. As a consequence, the typical arrangement of public and private spaces is here inverted: the primary living spaces are arranged upstairs with a wall of glazing north towards views of downtown, while private bedrooms open to protected courtyards on the floor below. An exterior spiral stair further connects the house to a roof deck and the ever-present breeze.