Tarrytown Residence / Alterstudio Architecture

Architects: Alterstudio Architecture
Area: 4,200 ft²
Year: 2019
Photography: Casey Dunn Photography
Lead Architects: Kevin Alter, Ernesto Cragnolino FAIA, Tim Whitehill
Architects Team: Joseph Boyle AIA, Shelley McDavid AIA
Design Team: Sara Mays
Interior Design: The Renner Group, Kimberly Renner
Contractor: CleanTag
Structural Engineering: MJ Structures
Mechanical Engineering: Positive Energy
Landscape Design: Word + Carr Design Group
Materials: Corso Brick by S. Anselmo, custom steel fascia and façade by Drophouse Design, ebony-stained cedar siding by Delta Millworks, custom windows and doors by Ram Windows and Heritage Windows and Doors, custom woodwork by Tim Cuddy Cabinetry, Benjamin Moore paints and stains, Caesarstone solid surfacing, Jasba, Original Mission Tile, Stone Solutions, Interceramic and Mudtile floor and wall tile, white oak wood flooring, honed Absolute Black granite
Lighting: Zaniboni recessed cans, Roll and Hill Modo chandelier, Cedar and Moss Alto, Foscarini Gregg Suspension
City: Austin, Texas
Country: United States

Tarrytown Residence by Alterstudio Architecture introduces a contemporary family home into a traditional post-war neighborhood in Austin, Texas, while placing landscape at the center of domestic life. The house is organized between a walled garden along the street and a central courtyard beyond, creating privacy within a dense suburban setting. A continuous ceiling plane and custom site-glazed window walls allow the interiors to open broadly toward the outdoors, while two abstract volumes in long-format black brick and black-stained cedar shield the home from view. The design combines horizontal spatial organization with vertical moments, including a central monitor, a two-story library, and a double-height screened porch. Steel detailing, custom cabinetry, glass, brick, cedar, stone, and wood are carefully integrated to produce a precise but understated environment shaped by light, shadow, texture, and framed views.

Inspiration for us is wide and omnipresent, but I think if you look at the inspiration for our work, we are inspired by the ever-present beauty of the natural world (i.e., the passing of the day in light and shadow, the powerful pull of the contours of the land, the meandering limbs of Live Oak trees, the orientation of the prevailing breezes), the powerful material presence of gravity in masonry and timber, the magic of steel and glass, and the poetic possibilities of building a more beautiful and consequential environment.
Interview with Kevin Alter of Alterstudio Architecture

Tarrytown residence / alterstudio architecture

Tarrytown Residence by Alterstudio Architecture gains its character from the tension between restraint and discovery. Rather than presenting modernity as a singular formal statement, the house unfolds through calibrated thresholds, protected views, and carefully placed moments of openness. Its architectural language is disciplined and quiet, yet the experience of moving through the home is layered with surprise, from the entry sequence beneath the limb of a live oak to the vertical spaces that appear within an otherwise low, horizontal composition.

The visitor enters under the meandering branch of an adjacent live oak tree, beginning a choreographed sequence that balances enclosure with visual continuity. Rooms are clearly defined, yet the plan encourages movement and connection across interior and exterior spaces. The design allows glimpses of gardens, adjoining rooms, and changing light to appear gradually, creating a sense of progression without disrupting the calm atmosphere of the house.

At the center of the residence, an unexpected monitor opens the interior to the sky. This element draws daylight into the core of the home and frames views upward into the tree canopy, giving the plan a luminous focal point. It also offsets the predominantly horizontal arrangement of the residence by introducing a measured vertical gesture, one that enriches the spatial experience without overwhelming the composition.

To the east, a two-story library and a similarly scaled screened porch add further depth to the home’s section. A glass-floored bridge extends from an office loft, providing access to the upper bookshelves and transforming into a Juliet balcony facing the screened porch. This detail combines function with architectural drama, turning circulation into an experiential element within the house.

Construction and material detail are central to the project’s identity. Alterstudio Architecture suppresses overt articulation so the house can serve as a refined backdrop for natural light, shadow, material variation, and landscape views. The custom site-glazed window system reduces the presence of window frames, allowing glass walls to operate as transparent planes. Steel columns, fascia, trim, the glass floor, the bridge, and the double-height screened porch are integrated with precision, reinforcing the home’s restrained architectural language.

The exterior palette of long-format black brick and ebony-stained cedar gives the residence a protective and composed presence. These darker materials help define the home’s abstract volumes while buffering the interior from neighboring conditions and potential future development. Inside, white oak flooring, honed Absolute Black granite, custom woodwork, tile, and selected lighting introduce warmth, texture, and refinement.

The interior is enriched by unexpected moments of color and material contrast, often placed in secondary or concealed locations such as behind a door or at the back of a bookcase. These details give the residence a more intimate dimension, allowing moments of surprise to emerge within an otherwise controlled architectural framework.

In its suburban context, Tarrytown Residence creates privacy without isolation. The walled garden, central courtyard, screened porch, and expansive glazing establish a domestic environment that is inwardly focused yet deeply connected to the outdoors. Through precise detailing, careful sequencing, and a restrained material palette, the house transforms a dense residential condition into a private enclave shaped by light, landscape, and quiet spatial complexity.