Furman & Keil adds lightweight birdwatching pavilion to dockside near Austin

Architecture studio Furman & Keil Architects has replaced a small dwelling with a lightweight, two-level pavilion for birdwatching alongside a waterway near Austin, Texas.

Known as Roost, the 928 square-foot (86-square-metre) structure was construction from the previous buildings steel structural elements and materials that could be delivered to the site by boat.

Located across the water from a nature preserve, Roost sits at the bottom of a bluff, 50 feet below the surrounding neighbourhood and sheltered by large trees.

Furman & Keil Architects built the steel and timber structure to replace a previous unpermitted, stucco-covered dwelling that disrupted the flood plain.

While just minutes from the Texas capital, the site is only accessible by small watercraft or by descending a long, tight staircase through a natural stone grotto into the environmentally protected wetland.

The team elevated the enclosed spaces to the second level to allow the structure to work with the inevitable flooding and immerse the occupants in the native flora and fauna.

"Conceived as an elevated platform to allow the owners to inhabit nature; the platform floats over the water providing views into the trees and down the slough," the team said.

"While the screened porch is a protected space for lounging and birdwatching, the area below the platform serves as a boat launch and provides access to the shoreline."

Since the construction materials had to be transported to site by a small flat bottomed boat, the team selected components that could be assembled by hand.

Steel girders tie into the existing piers and hold the decking aloft, minimising impact on the ground plane.

Wood is the secondary material, with Douglas fir rafters for the single-pitch roof and floor joists and Ipe decking and siding for a small storage area.

"Wood was chosen for its aesthetic warmth, but it also allowed for both decking and siding to be gapped to allow for flooding," the team said.

Thin cable railings and corrugated metal provide low-profile durability, while an insect screen safeguards the unconditioned interior space and fans keep air moving on still, muggy days.

"The minimal area of the lower-level deck allows native plantings to reclaim the natural wetland area," the studio said.

"The replacement of the existing structure with this new elevated dock has also allowed for the restoration of natural hydrology."

Other residential projects recently completed in Austin's landscape include a hilltop house renovation by LaRue Architects and Kelle Contine, a lakeside, weathering steel retreat by Miró Rivera Architects and a "plant-based cabin" with a cross-laminated timber structure and cork facade by Moontower Design Build.

The photography is by Leonid Furmansky.

Project credits:

Architecture: Furman & Keil Architects
FKA Design Team: Troy Miller, Philip Keil, Maanasa Nathan, Dawson Williams
Contractor: Crowell Builders
Landscape: Word + Carr Design Group
Permit Consultant: Rick Rasberry of Lake Austin Boat Dock & Shoreline Permits
Structural Engineer: Duffy Engineering
Lighting: Studio Lumina

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