The Goat Sheds is a family ranch compound located at the base of a wooded hillside with long views down two valleys to the South and East.
The house serves as a gallery to display the wife's large collection of American Indian artifacts as well as the husband's extensive collection of model trains. Each of the main functions -- living, sleeping, working, train room, garage -- are designed as individual, clerestoried sheds that are dispersed among the existing trees in such a way that no trees were lost. The "sheds" are connected by service spaces.
The husband once worked on the ranch as a young adult when it was owned by his future wife's family. During that time it was being transformed from a goat ranch to a cattle ranch. His future wife's father wanted to determine if this young man was a hard worker and worthy of his daughter, so he gave the suitor the job of dismantling all the old goat sheds that were scattered over hundreds of acres. He did, the father approved, and they were married. The couple affectionately call the new house the Goat Sheds.
The house is featured in the book Architects of the Southwest, by Francesc Mola.
The Goat Sheds
The Goat Sheds recently won the prestigious AIA CRAN Award for Best Modern Home.
The Goat Sheds
The Goat Sheds
After visiting the site a few times and getting to know it, I started laying out the house, using rolls of tracing paper over a print of the topographical map of the site that also showed the locations of all the existing trees. I laid it all out on our kitchen island where I could stand while I worked and had a wonderful view through the back porch.
The Goat Sheds
The building site was special to the client. As a kid she had spent summers camping in that very spot among the trees; now I will design for her a permanent "camp" built on that spot. Keeping that concept in mind, I broke up the main house functions into separate "cabins" and spread them out through the trees (the blue dots) to avoid having to cut down any of them. Then I tied together the main functions by connecting them with the ancillary functions (pantry, laundry, half bath, home theater), so the house forms a necklace that strings through the trees.
The Goat Sheds
Final layout. The house is composed of five main sheds housing the main functions, tied together by low, flat-roofed connectors that contain the secondary functions. The sheds were laid out among the existing trees so that we would not remove any trees. IMAGE: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
The house lies protected at the base of a hill near a creek and overlooks a large meadow and the valley beyond. The house was carefully sited so that the owner had long views down two valleys. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
The master bedroom is strategically located to have views down two valleys. The roof is extended to create a wrap-around porch. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
The compound is a series of limestone walls set at different angles, with shed roofs and clerestory windows. The porte cochere at the great room shed is the formal entry. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
Carport/garage shed (right) and Train shed. The Train shed accommodates the owner's extensive model train collection and a large diorama through which the trains travel. Notice how by placing the sheds at different angles we created side entries between the stone walls into each shed area. PHOTO: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
Solar modeling helped us determine the size and angle of the large roof overhangs to shade the west-facing clerestory windows. We wanted to keep the extensions at the same upward angle of the roof (instead of angling down) to provide views up the hill from within the house through the clerestory windows. The overhangs shade the clerestory windows throughout the afternoon until the adjacent hill to the west takes over after 4pm. Image: Sergio Bravo
The Goat Sheds
This photo was taken at 3pm and shows that the solar model works in reality, shading the glass from the hot Texas sun. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
Dragons at the main entrance. Dragons are the symbol for strength and good luck. They symbolically protect the house. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
The roof overhangs and porches offer exposed wood rafters and beams. The exposed cedar and stone walls complement and "warm up" the corrugated metal siding. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
The porte cochere is the main entry to the house. A mahogany and glass pivot door allows you too see through the Great Room to the back porch and the valley beyond. PHOTO: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
Galvanized steel I-beams were used as lintels for openings in the rock walls. The rock walls are composed of alternating courses of 6", 8" and 12" limestone with "German smear" style mortar. This is a nod to the local historic German Hill Country architecture of the region. Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
Clerestory windows in each shed bathe the interiors with natural light, reducing the need for electric lighting. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
The kitchen has some of the best views in the house. The sink counter protrudes into the rear porch, with windows on three sides. The owner's refer to it as the "bridge of the ship." Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
The kitchen was designed to be as sleek and minimalist as possible, yet remain "warm" to the eye. Unlike a range, a cooktop and oven do not disrupt the line of the countertop. The range hood is mostly hidden and only shows a thin horizontal line tucked within the line of the cabinets. It pulls out when in use, and slips back into line with the cabinets when not. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
A 24'-wide sliding glass wall in the Great Room opens onto a 14'-deep covered porch. The dining set is a one-off from the 1940's. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
This is the view from the back porch of the Great Room. With a 14'-depth it becomes an outdoor room for eating, birdwatching, and relaxing. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
The Master Bedroom shed is surrounded by a covered cedar porch. Two 12' walls of sliding glass converge at a corner to visually and physically connect the room to the outdoors. The roof overhangs and porches offer exposed wood rafters and beams. The cedar rafters, beams, and posts as well as the stone walls complement and "warm up" the corrugated metal siding. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
The finished corrugated metal siding on the Workshop and Train Shed. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
The home office features original Mission Style furniture and American Indian artifacts. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
Detail of Study. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
Guest bedrooms shed. The house was laid out between existing trees, and some trees are so close to the house that some roof overhangs had to be notched to accommodate the wonderfully wandering limbs. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
Rear view showing the porches off the guest bedrooms as well as the Great Room. No trees were removed to build the house. It was designed around the trees. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
This is the covered porch off the guest bedrooms. Simple, exposed wood rafters, beams, and columns. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
All the sheds, including the garage, have clerestory windows. The carport and garage can be emptied of cars and used as a large, covered space for outdoor parties. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
Detail of roof at carport. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
This photo shows the main elements of each shed: the limestone wall punctured by aluminum windows, horizontal clerestory windows above the stone wall, corrugated metal siding, and exposed wood rafters. The lintels above the windows are exposed galvanized steel I-beams to match the aluminum windows and the Galvalume metal siding. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
Dragons at the main entrance. Dragons are the symbol for strength and good luck. They symbolically protect the house. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
Detail of the corrugated Galvalume siding and roof with exposed cedar purlins. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
The train room accommodates the owner's collection of model trains as well as a large diorama of hills, valleys, rivers, and towns through which the railroads circulate. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
The house is designed to promote convection currents that bring cooler air from the covered porches into the house and expel the warmer air near the ceiling through the clerestory windows. This cross ventilation keeps the house cool even on hot summer days.
The Goat Sheds
One of four entries between sheds. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
The Goat Sheds
We used commercial aluminum storefront for the four side entries to match the aluminum windows and sliding glass doors in the rest of the house. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
When the house was almost finished the clients decided to add a greenhouse. The garage had a 16'-long freestanding stone wall at the end of the house, and we nestled the small structure against it. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
The exterior of the greenhouse is translucent plastic polygal panels screwed to the cedar structure. A thermostat turns on the exhaust fan if it gets too hot during the summer. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara
The Goat Sheds
Inside the greenhouse. The door to the left leads into the garage. The antique barnwood on the back wall was taken from an old barn on the ranch that had fallen down decades ago. Photo: Ignacio Salas-Humara