The annual American Institute of Architects home tour will make its return this November. While we’re anxiously waiting to hear which beautiful Dallas homes will be on this year’s docket, AIA has been kind enough to quench our home ogling thirst with a few teasers. Stop by every weekday morning through September 23 to glimpse a new lovely corner and read explanations from the talented architects behind them, then go on the hunt for them in person, when the 9th annual AIA Dallas Tour of Homes kicks off November 14. Can’t handle the wait? Starting September 25, you can head to www.hometourdallas.com to see the close-ups we’re featuring paired with photos and information about the entire tour home.
ARCHITECT EXPLANATION
Written by Marc McCollum, AIA
Providing walls for art is an important part of all the projects I design, but for this house it seemed best for the wall itself to be the art – a 12-foot wide by 11-foot tall by 10-inch thick plane of architectural concrete that is smooth as glass and always cool to the touch. The material has the strength to hold its own against the large windows next to it while the control joints and tie-rod holes let me adjust its scale so that the wall is not too big for the room.
Cast-in-place concrete is always a bit of a risk; you are making the “negative” of the wall and not the wall itself; so no matter how carefully you detail and build the formwork in the end you can only pour the concrete and let it do what it wants to do. An experienced concrete crew and a meticulous architect help, but an adventurous homeowner is a necessity.
