Tag Archives: h+uo architects

A recent AIA Austin (the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects) design competition led our Project Manager, David Carroll, AIA, to a winning project entry.

David, and his partner on the project, Gerard D’Arcy from Sixthriver Architects, have been assisting with the latest Mobile Loaves and Fishes project called “Community First! Village.”  The new development will help house a large number of citizens of the Austin homeless community. Carroll and D’Arcy have been spending the past year designing and now building the structure on a plot of property near the Expo Center.  Once the shelter he helped design began taking shape, it was so well received the organizers decided to make it a chapel instead of a dwelling so they entire community could experience the unique structure.

Along with this and other micro-homes making up this community, there will be tents and trailers for those in need to rent out as they build their way back to financial stability. The community is fit with kitchens and restrooms, gardens and dog parks, a bus stop and health clinic.

“I’ve worked on several homeless shelters and affordable housing projects,” says David of his architectural career. “I’ve witnessed people wanting a sense of independence…” an independence he thinks this affordable community can make a reality.

To learn more about the project and ways you can help, visit Mobile Loaves and Fishes website here: http://mlf.org/community-first/

From a young age Erik was always drawing. For him, there was only one option when it came to being asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. Here is an inside look at the inspiration behind Erik’s journey:

You could say one of my first memories was wanting to be an architect. Since I was very, very little it has been my dream. I’ve always loved to design and build things.

At 7-years-old I entered a local contest to “Draw Your Dream House.”  I drew the tree house shown above and won the competition. They put my picture in the paper! It was one of those moments where you just know you are doing the right thing. It was exciting and fun.

I was in a drafting class in high school where I competed in speed drafting, and won first place in state and went on to place 7th in the nation. This was a really big honor and it gave me the confidence to draw up a set of house plans in high school for a young couple that they then had built. Seeing your work come to life was a very rewarding experience.

I love the ability of designing a space in my head, putting it on paper, having it built and the client experiencing the space we initially envisioned. I have worked with hundreds of people over the years and strive to make every one of them happy by enriching their lives through architecture.

h+uo architects has worked on countless projects over the years that have stuck out in their minds, all for different reasons, and for the most part, each as memorable as the others.

Though, when being asked what our favorite project was, one project in particular came to the minds of two of the partners: The Crossings, now  Travaasa Experiential Resort.

Partner Randall Owen said It was his most memorable project because he was on the site for over a year-and-a-half in his own job trailer observing construction and orchestrating the construction of the 15 building campus using two general contractors.

“This was an architect’s dream to get to call 200 plus acres of Texas Hill Country on the edge of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve my office, while watching one of my projects get built.  I was so spoiled, not because I had in my trailer A/C, a mini-fridge, and a computer with internet access, but because I felt like a Master Builder, like an architect from many centuries ago, out in the natural environment, watching their man-made vision become a reality.  We created a village up on that hill.  I look forward to my next visit.”

Architecturally yours,

hatch + ulland owen architecture

The Waters at Willow Run Leasing Office Rendering

The Atlantic Housing Foundation is working with h+uo architects to create a new 242-unit apartment complex in North Austin, The Waters at Willow Run. This complex is for residents who earn less than 80% of the median family income (MFI) in Austin. The Waters at Willow Run will also provide scholarships to qualified residents and reward parents with reduced rent if their child and/or children do not miss school.

Perfect for working families, the complex has one, two and three bedroom units with several community amenities:

-Dog park
-Playground
-Swimming pool
-Fitness center
-Community room
-Laundry room
-Social amenities*

Due to the tight site constraints, h+uo strategically placed the three-story buildings in the center of the complex and the two-story buildings along the exterior of the complex: near the entrance next to Burnet Road and near the residential neighborhood. The building placement was designed to be more compatible with the scale of the neighborhood.

While the project has had its challenges, h+uo has enjoyed working with one of their favorite clients and are excited to oversee construction, which is expected to start soon!

About Atlantic Housing Foundation
Atlantic Housing Foundation is committed to helping residents by providing services that foster a sense of community, improve quality of life and promote personal growth and advancement. Atlantic Housing’s community service programs are designed with the following goals in mind:

-Provide decent, safe and sanitary housing for low-income persons and families, elderly, and mentally or physically disabled persons, assist in the social and economic integration of the poor, combat community deterioration, lessen neighborhood tensions, eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and reduce the burden on government through the provision of affordable housing, and
-Provide housing at colleges and universities and offer scholarships to students from low income families to enable these individuals to break the cycle of poverty through higher education.

Since 2005, Atlantic Housing has awarded 95 academic and housing scholarships and provided over $9,300,000 in social services, including but not limited to the following:

-ESL classes
-After school programs
-Academic and housing scholarships
-Credit counseling
-Rent discounts for families with honor roll children and those with perfect attendance
-Learning Centers complete with computers, printers, fax capabilities for children and adult education

Austin Convention Center Acoustics Rendering

The Austin Convention Center hosts events ranging from the Annual Bridal Expo to Austin’s famous South By Southwest music, film and technology events. While the convention center is a popular and esteemed event venue, its acoustics are in need of improvement. h+uo architects was selected by the City of Austin to tackle this issue by developing solutions.

The acoustics revamp is a two-part project. For the first phase, h+uo has designed an upgrade on the 4th level of the building in the service corridors, where noise from service functions has been affecting event functions. The second phase of the project will have much more public face. h+uo architects has designed an acoustic treatment which will be applied to the ceilings of large sections of public corridors fronting Cesar Chavez and Trinity streets. The “lily pad” design takes its form from the pattern that emerges when four-foot circular cut-outs are made around each ceiling fixture.

Visitors to the Austin Convention Center can look forward to an improved sound experience and a new, subtle aesthetic element.