![]() Luxury materials: solid masonry, shimmering glass, elegant bronze finishes. ![]() An architectural achievement, with signature arches inspired by the world’s most beautiful train stations. Corner of beautiful Buena Vista Street and bustling Fitzhugh Avenue, and along the beloved Katy Trail. Live atop the Terminal at Katy Trail: the finest residences in Dallas, just 19 in all. “We are in love with the design and it’s been great working with the team.Penthouse unit being sold as shell space for customization. While at the same time designing a comfortable home suited to the way we live, work and entertain. “We wanted to build a modern house with a very forward approach to climate change, hurricane resiliency and our carbon footprint. “We like the feel and use of materials in his commercial projects and were impressed with the technology they use in the design process, especially around sunlight, wind, orientation and the use of virtual reality while designing the home,” Armanious says. “Their house is going to be so interesting because the indoor-outdoor thing is so tied together,” Hsu says.Īrmanious and Baldwin looked at a number of architectural firms before deciding on Hsu. The plans address the couple’s desire for zoned sections of the house separating entertaining areas from private spaces, spaces for large entertaining and spaces for intimate gatherings, a kitchen suited to Armanious’ culinary talents and a vast closet that meets his fashion needs. The Armanious/Baldwin home, still in the drawings stage, is of a courtyard design allowing for their privacy which at the same time welcomes a sizable amount of glass for vast indoor daylight. The importance of gardens and outdoor spaces is emphasized.” “How does the mechanical system function, how can I cross ventilate my house, how can I bring daylight in? Now that people spend so much time in the daylight hours of their house, they see things differently. “We talk about healthfulness and wellness now very, very intricately,” Hsu adds. That’s what we are doing with all of our clients now.”Ĭlients are embracing what Hsu says is intuitive to architects: the importance of indoor/outdoor spaces, the value of the drama of big spaces juxtaposed with small spaces, and the value of bringing daylight in. In the case of Armanious and Baldwin, Hsu says, “Their house was sort of a test during COVID. A broader look at architect Michael Hsu’s home office in Austin. “We really think that all environments, when they can be thought of as a metaphor for life in general, are varied and rich and have surprises,” Hsu explains. But it is a look warmly balanced by a richness of materials and texture that create an interesting interior tapestry. The firm’s home design oeuvre is decidedly modern highlighting architecture that is spare and clean. His architects and designers are currently working on residential projects of all scales including condos, remodels, ground-up, second homes in the Hill Country and the Dallas condominium project. Interestingly, during COVID the Hsu office has seen that people are reinvesting in their home life. That’s been a big change.” A Different Take On Home “But I think the story of the silver linings of this last year is how people got closer together in their homes and now they really see their home again as a full participant in family life. “In a lot of ways homes lost the position as the core family space becoming more of a stopping point. The home is the core family space again,” Hsu tells PaperCity. “I think what we’re seeing now, people are much more interested in their home life, and the quality of life overall that it can help provide. ![]() It is the firm’s first residential commission in Houston, though several others are potentially in the wings. Hsu’s office of 60 employees is currently working on eight homes including the Woodlands Heights residence of Tootsies creative director Fady Armanious and his partner Bill Baldwin, owner of Boulevard Real Estate. The remainder includes the public realm, commercial, a bit of health care and interiors. Yet, 25 percent of the Hsu firm’s business is residential while 25 percent is in restaurants. While Dallasites are familiar with Uchi in that city as well as the luxury condo Terminal at Katy Trail. ![]() Houstonians are familiar with Hsu’s hip dining and hospitality work which includes Uchi, Heights Mercantile, Montrose Collective and La Lucha. ![]() We really love the sort of tension between those types of things in space and design, between things that are very spare compared to things that are rich in color, big spaces versus small spaces.” Architect Michael Hsu, with offices in Austin and Houston, works from his home office in Austin during the pandemic. “So even architecture that tends to be modern and contemporary, we still believe in building small, intimate cozy spaces. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |