LOCKHART DEVELOPMENT

Located in Lockhart Texas, a city of 15,000 residents and 35 miles south of downtown Austin, this project responds to the role smaller municipalities play when surrounding larger cities. While other small municipalities have been absorbed into the fabric of Austin, Lockhart had remained, until recently, relatively untouched. Although modest in size, this project sets a precedent for future development that is efficient, community-focused, and less dependent on automobiles. Located 1.5 miles from Lockhart’s downtown, the building occupies a long, narrow corner lot bound to the north by a busy thoroughfare devoid of sidewalks and to the west by a dead-end road. The structure is intentionally different from its neighbors, as this building type itself is unique to Lockhart. The ground floor retail level reads as two solid brick forms, supporting the second-floor residential level rendered as lightweight wood box. Acknowledging the lack of pedestrian traffic for the retail spaces, the composition is articulated at the north and west sides to attract attention from passing cars. This includes orienting the portal between the two brick forms to provide a provocative glimpse to the rear courtyard, an area shielded from the late afternoon Texas sun. This courtyard is intended for both apartment residents and retail patrons, reinforcing the building as a community hub.