2022 RDAA | Custom Urban House | Alcott Street | Shipley Architects

There has always been an exuberant, improvisational quality to Dan Shipley’s architecture, and nowhere is that spirit more evident than in the home he and his wife, Lea Bauman, have built for themselves in Dallas.

“Most architects don’t get to build their own house, but I’ve been lucky to have had clients—many of them artists—with an affinity for materials and experimentation,” says Dan. “They understand that materials are design—that they have their own truth and you have to stick with that to get something that’s real. So this was an opportunity to have even more control over the process—without having to get permission.”

The neighborhood this house occupies is known for its highly crafted, almost quirky homes, many of them designed in the 1930s by the prolific Charles Dilbeck. “The houses have a lot of charm, details, and a generally Arts and Crafts approach,” says Dan. Although his house is distinctly modern, it’s imbued with a similar warmth and soulfulness.

The structural brick front wall sets the tone for what’s to come. “That old-fashioned, molded St. Joe Brick—you can feel that mass through the house,” he says. And it begins the ongoing dialogue on the exterior and interior among material, dimension, texture, and assembly.  “We hardly ever have flush conditions. We are always separating and shifting the planes because different materials have different qualities.” 

Our judges loved what they called the “experimental and episodic” nature of the design. “There’s so much detail and sense of materials.”




Citation

Custom Urban House

Shipley Architects
Alcott Street
Dallas

Project Credits

Architect: Dan Shipley, principal in charge, Shipley Architects, Dallas

Builder: ShipBuild Partners, Dallas

Project Size: 2,800 square feet

Site Size: 0.17 acre

Construction Cost: $250 per square foot

Photography: Robert Tsai Photography


Key Products

Bathroom Waterproofing:
Schluter DITRA

Cladding: Modular brick, St. Joe Brick Works; Waska coated cedar shingles

Counters: Wilsonart, Victostone Quartz

Dishwasher: KitchenAid

Exterior Tile: Aguayo cement tile,
Belvedere

Faucets: Kohler, Hansgrohe

Fireplace: Earthcore Isokern

HVAC: Daikin

Range: Bertazzoni

Refrigerator/Freezer: JennAir

Roofing: GAF Roofing composition shingles

Sinks: Kohler, Elkay

Toilets: Kohler

Windows/Window Wall Systems: Milgard, Metal Craft