The Texas Hill Country German vernacular is referenced in this design's keen respect for scale featuring a high-pitched standing-seam metal roof, stone walls, outside chimney, deep porches and thick walls. A deliberate separation of the house's mass reduces the apparent scale of the house and evokes the image of a settler's home sympathetically expanded over time. The stone work was mortared using a technique once common to houses in the San Antonio and Fredericksburg regions where the stones and mortar appear to be placed randomly. The landscape design incorporated native Texas grasses, flowers and shrubs.
Awards
The Southern Home Award "Best New House Design 1500-2000 sf" 1995
Planned as a weekend retreat on a substantial South Texas property, the Pleasanton Ranch needed to be an assortment of versatile spaces to entertain and accommodate up to six overnight guests. The house needed to take advantage of the site's desirable views and solar orientation. Finally, it needed to be constructed of durable, low-maintenance materials that could weather the harsh elements and withstand the abundant and destructive wildlife.
The new residence consists of a central core of common spaces that open to each other for ease of gathering and entertaining with panoramic views to the fields. Two guest bedrooms are separated from the master bedroom for privacy and for ease of zoning. Most of the service spaces are located along the main axis of the house on the entry side to provide privacy from the entrance to the living areas.
The house is sited near the highest elevation to take advantage of views, breezes, and abundant natural light. An attached screened porch is strategically placed to receive the south-easterly breezes in the summer, while the house blocks the northern winds in the winter to allow for year-round enjoyment. Deep roof overhangs along the southwest side help block the direct afternoon sun and heat gain from the large windows in the common areas without diminishing the natural light and views. Durable exterior material choices of natural stone and corrugated metal panels are juxtaposed to provide visual cues to the spaces within and enhance the overall aesthetic of this modern ranch house.
This home is situated on a cliff overlooking the dramatic Lake Austin landscape on one side and a deep canyon on the other. The design incorporates a main house, guest house/workshop/ garage, boat house/screened porch, lake cabana and pump house to create a comfortable place to entertain family and friends and to minimize regular maintenance.
A 170 ft. electric tram scales the cliff face, connecting the main house and guest house to the cabana, the boathouse and the lake. The design of the house, along with its careful positioning and sizing of openings, creates a vibrant dialogue between interior and exterior. The materials used throughout, such as limestone, standing seam metal, long leaf pine, granite and solid masonry, allude to the home's Texas heritage and give it a look of stability and solidity atop the steep cliff on which it stands.
Awards
"Builder" Magazine's Grand Award for "Best Custom Home over 3500 sf," 2003
The Hillbrook Residence is a new house located on a difficult, and previously, unbuildable lot in the hills of Northwest Austin. Designed as a simple expression of stucco volumes, planes of pierced-metal, glass and wood decking float above and on the stucco skin of this modern home. Perched on an edge of a cliff with floor to ceiling expanses of north-facing glass and articulated views, this home provides the perfect setting for the owner’s large collection of contemporary art and relaxed lifestyle.
A large double height screened porch between the main residence and guesthouse serves as a gathering space liking the house to the landscape’s views across the hills. Indoors, a simple, but elegant palette of materials and colors combine with careful detailing gives the living areas an open and relaxed gallery-feel, which continues through to the more private areas of the house.
This home was designed around large gathering areas such as the chef's kitchen, the welcoming entry gallery and the formal dining room. The design emphasizes many sustainable systems including: passive solar control, air-conditioning run on water-cooled compressors and rainwater collection for domestic and irrigation water, with both a 40,000 gallon holding tank and a 6,000 gallon collection tank. The design and orientation of the home maximizes views of the natural landscape.
The limestone exterior and interior columns as well as the heavy timber beams in this new home provide a common backdrop to open vistas, ample windows and soaring interior spaces. A stair tower acts as a unifying hinge between public and private wings.
The design utilizes standard materials in creative new ways including a commercial ceiling grid that is inlaid with wooden panels in the entry vestibule ceiling. This creative approach is carried throughout the home making each space an elegant, unique experience.
Working closely with the client and a clearly defined design strategy, the design team was able to create a home inspired by both the site and the early southern California Arts and Crafts style. All design decisions, from overall concept to the expertly crafted detail work throughout, were filtered and implemented through the use of a story line based on experiencing the house within its natural setting. The resulting asymmetrical form consists of a cleverly compact functional core, including kitchen, entry, and stair, surrounded by spaces, both public and private, that project outwards opening to stunning views of the site. Windows are sensitively placed to enable the site to be experienced in a variety of ways throughout the house.
The final design responds to the natural Texas hill country environment both climatically and aesthetically. The use of a dog-run, outdoor shaded areas and five-foot overhangs in select locations help the house to function in harmony with its heavily wooded site, maximizing passive cooling and natural ventilation.
This "Hill Country Tuscan" embodies old-world Tuscan architecture and Hill Country design. Beauty was created with the interaction of space and materials, from stone walls and twelve-foot ceilings to antique heart pine flooring. The house is energy-efficient, with twelve-inch walls and openings carefully oriented to minimize solar heat gain and to maximize natural ventilation. The free-standing tower, which houses an office, is connected to both the entry pavilion and the garage/workshop. Access throughout the property is a processional path connected by a covered walkway spanning between the entry pavilion and the front door.
Awards
AIA statewide " Small Firms/Great Projects " touring exhibit 1994
This new residence, situated on the Pedernales River portion of Lake Travis, was designed in a style reminiscent of European castles. The "small castle" is complete with turrets and towers, hidden staircases, sliding bookcases and barrel-vaulted plaster ceilings and walls. The exterior walls are over two feet thick in most areas to complement the overall effect and to provide niches for music, books and displays. The residence also features out buildings for the owner's music and video interests.
The Tarrytown Pavilion shares its site with a mid-century modern house. The pavilion reflects this time period while standing as its own statement. The complexity of its program is countered by its visual clarity. It serves as a pool house, office, gallery, retreat, and guest house, all contained in one simple volume.
Two solid perimeter walls provide hanging space for art and are visually separated from the roof by a continuous clerestory. A metal and sapele wood clad “box” houses the bathroom and kitchen as well as the storage and mechanical systems. A continuous concrete deck dissolves the boundary between pavilion and pool. Full height, independently sliding glass doors are fully opening to maximize access to the pool and yard when desired.
Awards
Winner of “Builder” Magazine’s Special Focus Award, 2008
Winner of the Custom Homer Design Merit Award, 2008
Updating, expanding and restoring the original luster throughout this 1950's modernist residence were the goals of both the owners and architect. A new entry courtyard, added for privacy from the street, features a pierced metal gate and is flanked by a series of freestanding, stucco walls and translucent glass panels. Extending the horizontal roofline over the courtyard, a redwood trellis defines the outdoor space as it casts a grid-like shadow pattern across the ground. Proportional consistency and dramatic plays of light and shadow between the courtyard and the new facade create a look of clean modernism and continuity between the existing home and the master suite addition.
The final design provides the owners with added privacy without sacrificing the home's natural open character. The modern features of the home were preserved and enhanced by subtle touches to accentuate its unique and simple elegance.
Awards
Citation of Honor, AIA Austin chapter in the 2004 Design Awards Competition
As a weekend retreat, the client wanted a place to enjoy games and recreation with visitors. The new game room needed to be close enough to the existing house to be utilized; it needed to take advantage of the views to the creek; and it needed to be carefully situated to protect significant oak trees close to the house. The design exceeded these criteria and provided the added benefit of a new covered porch entry between the existing house and the new game room, as well as, renovations to the existing kitchen. The game room complements the existing house through its form and materials, but the materials are juxtaposed in unexpected ways to make the building more playful and modern. The game room design provides a solid western face that fronts the driveway, becoming more open down the sides through the use of large windows, and it finally culminates in a beautiful screened porch overlooking the creek.
Beautifully sited in a wooded hollow overlooking a pond on Bee Creek, this house needed changes to accommodate a young family. We designed a much needed addition and full remodel to create a continuous flow of space between all areas of the house.
Simple volumes are enlivened by the chosen materials, including end-grain mesquite floors, cypress ceilings, mahogany millwork and specialty glass, slate and tile. A series of screened porches and covered patios with translucent overhead glazing carry the interior space to the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
The original house was a series of additions that lacked any aesthetic cohesion from the exterior. Similarly, the interior was choppy and disjointed with no flow from one end of the house to the other. The clients desired a remodel and addition that would provide them with more bedrooms for their growing family, as well as a combination of casual and formal living spaces to suit their lifestyle. We strove to create the functional spaces in a manner that flowed easily and comfortably into one another and therefore eliminated the existing disjointedness of the house.
New, added features include: large inset stained wood windows with stone detailing, large dormers, a prominent entry, an enlarged backyard, an enlarged kitchen, an enlarged master suite, a new curved stair to complement existing stair, and wood deck extending out over creek.
This classic 1950's modernist home in Pemberton Heights was completely remodeled and expanded over the course of a three-phase project beginning in the early 1980's. The most recent remodel, finished in 2000, gave the home a new bar, dining area, and kitchen, designed in collaboration with Ann Clark. The living area was expanded and remodeled with mahogany beams, cherry wood floors, cut stone interior walls, and a matching fireplace.
This 1928 classic Georgian revival house was originally designed by a Houston architect for one of the Brown brothers of Brown and Root. The new owners sought to update and substantially expand the house and gardens while maintaining the home's original grace and style. The main house was restored and completely redesigned to allow for the expansion of the kitchen and master bath, with an addition for a new family room and study. The garage was completely rebuilt in fashion of the original home and an additional workroom and guest quarters were placed above.
The materials used throughout consist of marble and sandstone along with European tile and iron railings that were recast by the same Houston foundry that provided the rails for the original house.
Designed by a prominent Austin architect as a showcase house for the new Enfield subdivision, the house was featured in the local newspaper each Sunday during construction and received the award for "Austin House of the Year, 1926." The present owners wanted to accommodate a growing family, yet preserve the original features of the house. Due to site restraints and mature trees, an addition utilized the garage's footprint adding a mudroom with an open link to an expanded kitchen and a new master suite above. The new carport was integrated with the front façade, replacing the old garage yet maintaining the home's historical integrity.
To take advantage of this prominent urban site and its spectacular views of downtown Austin, the client and architect envisioned a three-story, mixed-use building. The first floor is comprised of retail space, while the second is reserved for office space and an aerobics studio for the Mecca Gym and Spa, which occupies the third floor for its other services. Although large enough to accommodate multiple functions, the building is designed to tie together rather than to overpower the surrounding retail district.
The tower prominently defines the corner as a creative combination of both new architecture and a traditional downtown street-corner form. At night, the glass at the top of the tower as well as the lit display windows create a warm glow upon the street below, making this building both an active participant and an aesthetic asset to the Lamar commercial district.
This high-rise office building and parking garage was designed in partnership with Kell Munoz Architects for the Texas Association of Counties (TAC). Located in downtown Austin, this 8-story office building, with 90,000 SF of occupied space is comprised of both TAC and leased office space. TAC space includes a 200-person capacity training center, an executive boardroom, commercial kitchen, law library, meeting rooms and a full-service printing facility.
The concrete structure, clad in brick and stone, and its octagonal tower at the corner entry is reminiscent in form to the historic county courthouses that TAC promotes through its services. Several important factors were key to the success of the design such as: understanding TAC’s rich history and the services it provides, organizing a complex range of functions, and working efficiently with many highly proficient teams of expertise on an aggressive timeline while maintaining a strict budget.
Awards
Texas Construction “Best of 2003” Excellence in Masonry
Mecca Gym and Spa is located on the third floor of 524 N. Lamar. The Project consisted of an interior finish-out for a 14,000 square foot luxury gym and spa. The gym is divided into three areas for cardio workouts, weight training, and toning, all with dramatic east-facing views of downtown Austin. The spa has seven treatment rooms, two changing rooms, a rest room and an atrium used as a private waiting area for spa cleints to relax between treatments. The gym also provides ancillary rooms, such as locker rooms, men's and women's steam rooms, a reception area, offices, laundry facilities, an employee locker room, and built-in display niches.
Once a 1950's clinic, the office building located in central Austin housed the firm of Fuller, Dyal, and Stamper and is now home to a local law firm. The design and renovation was a collaboration between Herman Dyal, AIA, Frank Welch, FAIA, Lou Kimball, AIA, and Robert Steinbomer, AIA. Together they transformed the derelict building into an efficient, attractive, and award-winning new office while keeping costs low.
As part of a design-build team, we designed a 42,000 sq. ft. aircraft hangar for Trajan Flight Support, LP at ABIA. The 36,000 sq. ft., 30 foot tall hangar area was equipped with a 300’-0" long telescoping hangar door to accommodate up to a G5 aircraft, as well as numerous other smaller planes at the same time. In addition, the 6,000 sq. ft. office space and restrooms accessed directly from the hangar area provides ample multi-tenant flight support functions. To meet the stringent environmental and life safety requirements for this structure, the building was equipped with pre-action fire sprinklers and a 30, 000 gallon hazardous materials tank to capture any fuel contaminated water in the event of a fire. The new hangar accommodates anywhere from 6 to 10 private aircraft.
To complement their new menu and serving methods, this popular Austin bakery and coffee shop chain needed a new look. Renovation began with their Guadalupe Street location where the design focused on creating a café environment and ultimately a prototypical image for other Texas French Bread shops to follow.
At a time when Austin began to make the shift into a vibrant, metropolitan city, the office building at 1711 South Congress Avenue was added to its landscape. The new building brought with it not only 11,000 square feet of office space, but also a sophisticated, urban presence--a predecessor for the commercial area that would quickly develop around it in the years to come. The use of conventional materials marks the quest to keep the design simple yet visually appealing and cost efficient, and establishes the building's prominence amongst other buildings in the city.
Steinbomer and Associates, along with Larry Speck, FAIA, was commissioned to design a new media room and chapel for the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum, a private organization. The addition allows for an expansion of office functions and provides a new multi-functional space for the museum and their outreach programs. The museum is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to educate the community about the value of sculpture.
The museum aims to enrich the artistic experience while displaying the works of sculptor Charles Umlauf in an environment full of beauty, serenity and peace.
St. James’ Episcopal Church is a vibrant, dynamic parish with a long and proud history intimately tied to the community and culture of east Austin. After 30 years at their existing building, the rapidly growing parish was quickly running out of space. In conjunction with St. James’ Episcopal School, which had been using the same small building for classes, they purchased 22 acres of land a few miles from their current location. Steinbomer & Associates, with Chartier Newton, worked closely with the church leadership, building committee and smaller interest groups to create a master plan and building that not only reflected their identity as a parish but was also sensitive to their history, diversity and culture. The master plan and phased site development package will allow them to grow into their new site over the coming years as the needs of the parish change and grow.
The initial phase of construction was completed in October of 2007. It consisted of two buildings housing a 350 seat worship space, parish hall, commercial kitchen and community wellness center. The worship space is designed to easily expand to 500 seats in the future while temporarily housing the church’s offices and nursery in the expansion space. The flexibility of the worship space allows it to house church functions as well as theater and music performances. Special attention was paid in the entry sequence to emphasize the symbolic path to the altar, reflected in the structure, lighting and stained concrete floor. Wood flooring from the original church was salvaged and used to create the altar platform, while stained glass windows from the east Austin location were incorporated into the entry.
St. James’ Episcopal School shares a 22 acre site in East Austin with St. James’ Episcopal Church. After their collaborative purchase of the property, we worked closely with school leaders as well as members of the church to create a master plan to allow the growth of both entities to happen easily and independently of one another on the same site, while still sharing some core facilities.
With close attention to their tight budget, we developed a master plan for facilities to serve pre-k through 8th grade, complete with a gym, cafeteria, and large library. Phase one of the school will serve children ages 2 ½ to 5 in a Montessori based curriculum. To give the school the most cost effective solution to meet their needs, modular buildings were arranged in a campus setting around a large playground. Facilities include 5 large classrooms, administration areas, a multipurpose gathering space/ library, a large covered outdoor space, a playground and tricycle track. The factory-made buildings were clad on site and brightly colored to create a vibrant and dynamic setting for young children. Construction was completed in September of 2007.
After 30 years at their existing building, the St. James parish was quickly running out of space. St. James Episcopal Church, in conjunction with St. James Episcopal School, purchased a 22 acre site in east Austin. We worked with Chartier Newton and Associates, Architects, to develop a master plan that would meet the needs of both the church and school to be developed over the next 10-15 years. Eventually, the master plan will provide for a 50,000 sq. ft. church sanctuary, parish hall and educations facilities.
The initial phase of the school was completed in September of 2007 and included five large classrooms, administration areas, a multipurpose gathering space/ library, and a large covered outdoor play area. Phase one of the church was completed in October of 2007. Church facilities include two buildings housing a 350 seat worship space, parish hall, commercial kitchen and community wellness center.
This project is currently being designed through meetings with parishioners, church leaders and architects, and has involved regular presentations to church committees and to congregations. Our goal is a church campus that responds to St. James' specific needs and style of worship.
Located on a 10-acre tract, the designed space accommodates U.S. Customs, Immigration and the monitoring of pedestrian flow and truck transportation. The 1,200 SF main building provides for the primary pedestrian flow between Matamoras and Brownsville. The building is protected by bullet-resistant glass and barriers and also houses administrative and active public spaces for INS, GSA, ATF and customs. The adjacent 20,000 SF vehicular canopy allows for covered inspection areas.
Designed by Robert Steinbomer, AIA and Carl Gromatzky, AIA for Rio Group Architects as a principal in the GSA joint venture.
In conjunction with Chartier Newton and Associates, St. Michael's Episcopal Church is a two-phase facility prominently sited along the scenic Capitol of Texas Highway. The effort began with a master planning phase and culminated into the design of a new facility for the existing growing congregation. It encompasses a 400 seat worship nave which will expand to 640 with administration offices, a Sunday school building and a Parish Hall. The future growth includes enlarging the parish hall and adding a new freestanding chapel and youth facilities. Outdoor space plays an important role in the master plan offering loggias, walkways and courtyards that accommodate both groups and individuals. In the second phase, the Sunday school will also become a day school and day care.
This project was designed through a series of meetings with parishioners, church leaders and architects, and involved regular presentations to church committees and to congregations. As a result, this church campus master plan and ensuing design truly responded to St. Michael's specific needs and style of worship.
The starkly beautiful and remote Bastrop County site greatly influenced and inspired the master plan for the LCRA Riverside Campus. The client and architect envisioned a campus that thoughtfully integrated new structures within an existing historical and natural context.
This conference building was created to support multi-media presentations, teleconferencing and computer training. It houses as many as 120 people in conferences or as few as 12 in computer training sessions. The conference building also provides a catering kitchen, eating areas, restrooms and porches.
The dining pavilion can seat up to 120 people in one great room during conferences and group events. The entire building is screened in, but it can be covered with glazing panels during cold months. Supplemental heat is provided with ceiling-mounted electrical heaters and a wood-burning masonry fireplace.
The master plan for the LCRA Riverside Conference Center was directly influenced and inspired by the starkly beautiful and remote Bastrop County site.
Steinbomer & Associates respected the historical context and scale of this site with particular sensitivity. With historic structures scattered throughout the property, the design used warm, rustic materials to lend the new buildings a sense of history, much like their predecessors.
The Riverside Dormitories achieved a high design quality through the use of local design types and materials. The project encourages and promotes the existing aesthetic: a quaint but poignant relic of Texas land and history. The renovation of existing buildings and reintroduction of these structures into the master plan of the project pushes sustainability from a historic and grassroots perspective, while enabling the LCRA to meet their project goals through means which were responsible to the site and program.
An 1800 sf addition to Brykerwoods Elementary also created an opportunity to establish a recognizable new point of entry while adding needed administrative space. Beside the entrance, a Lutyensesque curved wall, with a large window, flows toward a set of corner of windows that provide a visual link to the school's 50's era construction. The addition is clad in tan brick, with glazed blue-green brick and cut limestone, all materials used in existing parts of the school. The school's existing entry hall and doors were moved forward to create a new reception area and to align with the new facade. A skewed interior hallway connects the remodeled offices with the new addition. The large window set into the curved wall and the adjacent set of corner windows give the school's principal an overview of the entry and grounds.
This non-profit organization, which offers outpatient counseling for children up to age 18, was in need of a new facility. The 11,000 SF building was designed to evoke images of "home" with steep pitched roofs, low-scale brick patterning and residential wood windows. A cool and calming palette was used on the interior. The facility provides several private counseling rooms, observed and private group therapy rooms, a large meeting room and waiting room area and administrative offices.
The LBJ fountain had deteriorated severely over its thirty-year history. The soft Cararra marble had eroded such that the fountain was rupturing, leaking, and becoming unstable. The University of Texas first engaged Steinbomer and Associates to investigate the deterioration and prepare research, documentation, and design solutions to the problem. UT hired our firm again on the basis of this report to restore the systems and reclad the fountain using a harder, white North Carolina Granite to ensure its long-lasting function and original beauty.
A renowned landmark for generations of students, the Student Union and the UT system asked Steinbomer and Associates to restore all of the original windows and doors in the building. A full survey of all windows and doors was made to detail the condition, long-term problems, and work to be performed in order to incorporate modern weatherproofing, repairs, conservation, and a new durable finish. New techniques of weatherproofing and sealants were unobtrusively incorporated into the work.
This 1972 S.O.M. monument to President Johnson was built with an open atrium at the top level. That was covered and enclosed in a manner of years with numerous clear skylights set in a plaster ceiling “floating” on clerestory windows. The renovation undertaken in this project was challenged to close off the direct skylight sun without losing the familiar ambiance and apparent light source. The solution involved custom-made domed lights with high-efficiency concealed sources, controlled by switching to allow varying degrees of light during the day and evening. Existing roofing and waterproofing were improved and corrected during the process, all of which left the existing plaster ceilings intact.
The starkly beautiful and remote Bastrop County site greatly influenced and inspired the master plan for the LCRA Riverside Campus. The project goals included: restoring the existing log structure for offices and meeting spaces; restoring the 1856 Henry Crocheron Mansion and providing walkways and accessible ramps; restoring 5 additional log cabins for support facilities; providing a new home for the site manager and a conference training center; and, designing new dormitories for conference participants. The client and architect envisioned a campus that thoughtfully integrated new structures within an existing historical and natural context.
From its grand beginnings to its use as an early school for boys, and finally to its state of disrepair when purchased by the current owners in the 1970’s, the Academy house is a valuable example of the High Victorian style. Particularly noteworthy as a house built by the masons who built the Texas State Capitol with the same pink granite, the house is an important landmark in the city of Austin.
Robert Steinbomer and Steinbomer and Associates have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the owners of the Academy House, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Beginning with basic weatherproofing and consolidation of the envelope in 1978, a new roof and windows were restored in preparation for the major restoration of the exterior and main floors in 1982. We returned in 1998 for an adaptive renovation of the basement. Currently, we are replacing the roof belvedere, lost in the 1930’s, and re-roofing the house in a period slate using historic photos.
The 1886 Dr. Eugene Clark Library Roof Waterproofing & Restoration for the City of Lockhart was performed under a Texas Historical Commission grant in 1988, while Robert Steinbomer was in the RioGroup Architects partnership. This restoration involved extensive research and documentation of existing structure, measured drawings of the upper part of the structure, and research into the original roofing material, along with numerous interviews and site visits.
This brick structure was part of the original Fort Brown in Brownsville, Texas from the 1850's to the 1890's, with one wall on the bank of the Rio Grande river overlooking Matamoras, Mexico. Robert A. Steinbomer, AIA, and Lou Kimball, AIA performed documentation to HABS Format through photos and drawings prior to the building's disassembly offsite by the city of Brownsville. The property is currently a part of the United States border Gateway station.
Awards
Texas Historical Commission "Award for Excellence in Historic Architecture," 1991
Steinbomer and Associates has extensive experience researching and recording historic buildings and sites for over twenty years. The Historic American Building Survey is our nation's method of documenting the past through photography and measured drawings of a historic building including detailing and construction methods curated by the Library of Congress. In addition to our HABS documentation, we have executed National Register nominations and performed several stabilization and utilization surveys of historic buildings for our clients over the years.
