UR06 Vanguard Way

Today I am going to focus on our project located in Urban Reserve, one of two well publicized modern developments here in Dallas.

Taken from Urban Reserve’s Website:

Urban Reserve is Dallas’s first low-impact development. We are committed to sustainable architecture, which uses less of our natural resources and causes little or no harm to the world around it and to those within it.

• Development retained the existing topography
• Design guidelines require houses to be at least 20% more energy efficient than current code requirements.
• Front yards and common areas are planted with native and adaptive, low-water-use plants.
• Irrigation is accomplished with rainwater runoff stored on site in ponds.
• Rain gardens filter runoff from streets.
• 22-foot-wide street minimizes impervious pavement.
• Close access to DART line and White Rock Trail facilitates alternative use of transportation.

In keeping with the spirit and intentions of Urban Reserve’s low-impact philosophy, this modern residence is efficiently planned and lives much larger than the raw numbers would suggest. At 2,301 square feet, there is enough room to provide flexibility in how the spaces are used while being compact enough to allow the home to have a small footprint on the site. Locating all the programming to one side of the lot allowed for a single outdoor space large enough to include plans for a future pool and still have space for a great backyard party.

On the inside of the project, the division of internal spaces, both literal and implied, visually alters your perception of the living spaces as you first enter the home. These views help define the space, but as you take a few steps forward, your line of sight is extended through the room, providing glimpses of what’s beyond. Installed at key locations were large expanses of low-E glazing that were placed to visually open up and extend the inside into the side yard, a gesture which connected the rooms to the something beyond the perimeter of buildings footprint. With super-insulated walls, zoned air-conditioning, tank-less water heaters, recycled flooring and Energy Star appliances, this project exceeds the requirement for energy efficiency that Urban Reserve requires of all homes in the development while a house that doesn’t look like it was designed from leftover parts.

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This is the main living area – material finishes include polished and sealed concrete floors, king sized brick masonry units, dark bronze storefront glazing system and painted gypsum board.

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The stairs to the upper level project into the lower living space to provide an implied separation between the main living space and the kitchen/dining space. It is at this transition that we lowered the ceiling to help the scale of the rooms.

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This is a good view of the kitchen island but you can also see how the ceiling further drops over the cooking area to help define each zone (main living, dining, and kitchen) while maintaining visual connection with the surrounding spaces. This technique not only helps to define each space, but you visually share some of the space from adjacent areas which in turn makes each zone feel more spacious than it actually is.

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We recently shot the front of the home – we were waiting for the exterior landscaping to recover from the winter damage. When they come in, I come back and update this post to include an image or two.

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All photos ©2010 CDS. Reproduction without permission strictly prohibited

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