Architecture firm Alterstudio has raised the glazed living room of this house in Austin, Texas, to avoid the roots of an oak tree that grows close to the building.

Locally based Alterstudio Architecture designed South 5th Residence for a plot in the city's Bouldin neighbourhood.
The firm arranged the residence as series of volumes that step down the site's steep slope on three levels. This layout also steers clear of the huge tree, which it left to grow up a central courtyard.

"A rare Durand Oak and an unexpectedly steep escarpment created a powerful circumstance for a house that emphasises view and a dynamic spatial sequence, while at the same time being an abstract backdrop for the serendipity of light and circumstance," said Alterstudio in a project description.
Clad in grey stucco, the house is accessed at ground level from the top of the hill, and then unfolds in a U-shape behind to wrap the central yard with the tree. Glazed walls face this outdoor space to provide views from inside to out, as well as bring plenty of natural light.

More private areas, like bedrooms and bathrooms, are placed at the front of the residence in a block that runs lengthways. One end cantilevers over the garage below, to avoid the roots of a second tree that grows on the property. A large window punctures the corner to offer views of the street.

At the rear, the open-plan living, kitchen and dining room traverses the site in the opposite direction, and is similarly elevated s...