Snapshot
Complete transparency. That’s just one of the phrases Dallas-based A. Gruppo Architects uses to describe its 2,455-square-foot house in Dallas, which can be opened up to reveal itself via a rolling gate. The homeowners wanted to take advantage of the views on the site, in particular a pond to the south. Maximizing the glass on the ground floor was a driving design force in the project. The exterior massing is characterized as a floating bar with two rooftop light monitors. The bar appears to float by virtue of the continuously glazed ground floor. The lack of lateral bracing walls downstairs led to an innovative structural solution in using a series of steel windframes from Bossier City, La.-based McElroy Metal, which are embedded in the depth of the thick service wall that forms the north wall of the downstairs.
McElroy Metal, Bossier City, La., www.mcelroymetal.com
