It will never stop being delicious to get that little insider’s peek into someone’s home, even if it’s part of an official tour. For the curious and the creative, the AIA Austin Homes Tour returns for its 36th year of inspiring mental notes about storage hacks and wall colors this weekend, on October 22 and 23. Spend all the time you want staring at the perfect pots and pans display and skip the stairwell you could never commit to — this is a self-guided tour.
This is the tour’s first year as in-person-only after going virtual and hybrid in 2020 and 2021. Tour takers will explore nine new and recently renovated homes by local architects from Westlake to Pleasant Valley.
The work of nine architects is represented on the tour by The Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Austin):
- Cuppett Kilpatrick Architects
- Candace Wong Architecture + Design
- Dick Clark + Associates
- Erica Heroy Architecture and Design
- Lake|Flato
- Forge Craft Architecture + Design with Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects
- Furman + Keil Architects
- Lemmo Architecture and Design
- Studio Steinbomer
A list of addresses on the website gives sneak peeks into each home, with photos, a short description, and a pre-tour webinar to make sure viewers catch important design details.
Eco-friendliness is a throughline: one residence at Bull Creek was awarded a five-star rating by Austin Energy Green Building thanks to work by Studio Steinbomer, and another by the Forge Craft-Hugh Jefferson Randolph partnership applies passive house standards for a minimal footprint in “a hot, humid climate.”
House Zero by Lake|Flato is not just a smart design, but a careful experiment. “House Zero is a demonstration project and field trial for a proprietary concrete wall printing system,” says the description. “This climate-responsive new home, which includes an accessory dwelling unit, connects inhabitants to a native Texas landscape and diverse Austin neighborhood fabric. The design team collaborated with software developers, robotics engineers, and material scientists to create a new set of architectural innovations and strategies for printed concrete construction.”
Something most of the houses share is a connection to past structures and the historical importance of their lots. The Wildflower House by Erica Heroy Architecture and Design remodels a house from the 1950s, while the Vastu House by Dick Clark + Associates updates the owner’s childhood home using design principles far older than even the original structure.
“There is no better way to experience architecture than to explore it in person, and I’m thrilled that we can offer that to the public again for the 36th anniversary of this tour,” said AIA Austin Executive Director Ingrid Spencer in a press release. “From the range of home sizes, budgets, styles, and innovative and sustainable technologies featured on this tour, there will be something to inspire and delight everyone.”
Tickets ($45 general admission, $50 day-of) are available at aiaaustinhomestour.com. VIP tickets ($95) include a swag bag and access to a VIP party on Friday, October 21.
Photo by Leonid Furmansky
The AIA Austin Homes Tour includes nine homes that merge Ausinites' interior spaces with well-loved surroundings. (Pictured: Stenger No. 2 by Candace Wong Architecture + Design)
