Saturday, November 10th, Barkitecture took over the 2nd St. District as people walked the gallery of dog houses along the street. A project of Animal Lovers of Austin, Inc., Barkitecture brings together the city’s best architects and designers to create one of a kind dog houses. These works of art are then sold via silent auction during the event. Proceeds from the event benefit local dog rescue organizations.
h+uo has entered the competition a few times over the years. This year, the idea behind the design was to take the traditional dog house shape and envelope it with a modern and sustainable exterior. The traditional dog house shape can be seen as the “negative” or inside border of the framing. Salvaged Ipe wood (provided by Franklin Alan) was used for the base and as the securing mechanism for the plastic covering. Ipe, which is a very hard wood, required pre-drilling for all screws. The material used for the roofing/wall material is Polygal (purchased at regal Plastics). This material was a bit of a challenge to work with as its rigid nature made bending the materials around the arc of the framing fairly difficult. With a little team work. we were able to fasten it down. We’re pretty thrilled with the result! Special thanks to Bravo Interior Design for their input on the design!

Also of interest! – This year, our design was featured on houzz.com! Click here to read the full article and to see images of other dog house designs that made a splash at this year’s event.

FROM DESIGN TO THE STREET!

Tom Hatch, Hatch +Ulland Owen’s founder and senior partner, was interviewed by the Austin Business Journal, following the groundbreaking on H+UO’s design for Austin’s Acton Academy.

Architect Tom Hatch Talks School Design

Acton Academy broke ground on its new campus in East Austin on Oct. 15 and will open in summer 2013. The two-building, $3 million campus at 2201 Alexander Ave. encompasses 15,600 square feet and is located adjacent to Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s MLK train station. The general contractor is American Constructors and the architectural firm is Hatch + Ulland Owen Architects.

Acton Academy is a private school for elementary, middle school and high school students, which incorporates Montessori and Socratic teachings.

The Austin Business Journal asked Tom Hatch, principal of Hatch + Ulland Owen about the project and other educational designs the firm has done.

Full article>>

Groundbreaking ceremonies for H+UO’s Acton Academy design were held October 15th on the site of the new East Austin campus. Boards with renderings of H+UO’s design vision played key supporting roles, but the stars of the ceremony were the students, who not only “broke ground”, but collected samples of the ground as mementos.

From KXANTV

Our Senior Partner, Tom Hatch, FAIA has played a significant role in providing affordable housing in Austin’s east side neighborhoods. As architect on many affordable housing projects, he has helped shape east Austin by making its neighborhoods safer while maintaining a sensitivity to its unique history.

The Guadalupe Neighborhood, one of the city’s fastest changing neighborhoods is among these neighborhoods. Michael Barnes, of the Austin American Statesman wrote an article in the newspaper’s REAL Magazine, shining a spotlight on this neighborhood and took some time to chat with our very own, Tom Hatch.

Small town in the big city
In close-in Guadalupe neighborhood, history blends with hipster hangouts

One inescapable fact about the Guadalupe neighborhood: It rests atop a steep hill.

In fact, this high point on the wooded prairie is also known as Robertson Hill, named for Dr. Joseph W. Robertson, who purchased the land around the French Legation in 1848. His descendants lived here for almost 100 years. At least one street, Lydia, still bears a family member’s name. Full article>>

Restaurant Management features J. Black’s Houston grand opening celebration.

J. Black’s Feel Good Kitchen & Lounge held its grand opening yesterday in Houston. The location, along with stores in Dallas and Austin, Texas (as well as a location set to open in Fort Worth, Texas, by the end of the year), was designed by Randall Owen of Hatch + Ulland Owen Architects (h+uo). The newest location for the upscale restaurant and lounge concept is in the heart of Houston’s Washington corridor. It opened quietly in June, preparing for the grand opening.

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