Location: Texas
Type of construction: new
Implantation area: 240 m2
TBA: –
Architecture and Specialties: Mark Odom Studio
Texas-based architecture firm Mark Odom Studio has recently completed the Inglewood Courtyard Residence, a 2,400-square-foot abode that celebrates the homeowner’s deep appreciation for midcentury modern architecture. Carefully designed to preserve existing trees and emphasize indoor/outdoor living, the light-filled abode features a natural materials palette and an abundance of floor-to-ceiling windows to frame views of the courtyard and landscape. The site-specific new build also features energy-efficient elements and targets a 5-star rating with the City of Austin Green Building Program.
The client behind the Inglewood Courtyard Residence worked closely together with Mark Odom Studio — the homeowner served as the civil engineer on the project — to incorporate all the elements typical in a quintessential midcentury modern home, from terrazzo flooring to low-pitched roofs covered with a pebbled ballast. To further cultivate a feeling of nostalgia within the design, the team even weathered the finish of the flatwork to mimic the neighborhood’s original 1950s driveways.
Also key to the design was the inclusion of a continuous brick wall that serves as a north-south circulation spine and continues from the exterior to the interior. “The intended experience is to feel continuously connected with nature while moving through the house,” Mark Odom said. “The design inspiration was based on the ‘courtyard house,’ centered around the existing trees as well as making sure natural light spilled into all interior spaces.”
vertical windows that frame views into the lush courtyard and the existing mature trees, a natural materials palette, indoor planters and slatted screen walls help to highlight the relationship between the indoors and out. Other notable features include wooden bookshelves in the primary corridor that were repurposed from the classroom of the client’s father, a former school teacher responsible for much of the current public-school math curriculum, as well as the stunning terrazzo floors made from 1,800 pounds of various colored glass hand-spread into a three-tiered concrete foundation.