The Callahan Ranch Retreat Center takes us to the natural landscapes just outside Austin, Texas. With fields of cedars, massive cliffs, canyons, and grottos, there is tons of inspiration at our disposal to transform this stunningly beautiful, 38-acre site into something even more unique. The full range of program elements are in the process of being defined, but at the heart of the project is a ranch/retreat where friends, family, and clients can visit to escape into nature.
The project’s overall program is broken into three major areas:
1. Gather: A hub to congregate, dine, and unwind. This is the area around an existing Pole Barn, which will be repurposed as the entry welcoming house. The entry to the Pole Barn is supported by Jac, a service building, and Noria, a wellness/spa pavilion.
2. Rest: Consists of private resting bunkhouses for guests. Called The Stables, these bunkhouses nest along the edge of a tree line overlooking a natural prairie on the site. This area is intended to provide an intimate level of privacy yet feel totally connected to the rest of the site and nature.
3. Ritual: A sacred, ceremonial area of the site. It’s intended to serve as a conduit between body and nature, providing space for ceremonies, classes, events, and personal discovery.
We are currently in the design phase and aim to break ground on this project in late 2022.
A closer look at the many layers and textures of the different site features on our Callahan Ranch site in Spicewood, Texas. Plants, rocks, and water were used as inspiration.
Studying trees in section starts to reveal their true complexity.
The existing Pole Barn entry axis
The Pole Barn entry reimagined
A bird's eye view of the masterplan. The buildings are situated to keep site features intact and nestle into wooded areas. The barn is the hub of activity, surrounded by terraces, Jac, a grilling station, and a multi-functional lawn. Noria and the Ritual building are not far from this central hub. The Stables, which provide visitors' quarters, are set to the north in a clearing, distant enough to provide some privacy and separation.
The existing exterior stair to the Barn’s upper level will be re-built in an arrangement that works with the building's geometry, catering to a more seamless way of viewing and navigating out to the rest of the site. Arranging the stair to the right opens up a central axis that is continuous through the Pole Barn.
This renovation looks at how we can introduce newer design gestures without taking away from the overall eccentric qualities the Barn already possesses.
We researched many local vernaculars, which we ultimately used as the basis for Jac's name and design. One in particular was a jacal, or a one-room hut where laborers and their families used to live. These were simple pole structures with pitched roofs, topped with mud or adobe and then grass as the roofing material.
Directly adjacent to the Pole Barn sits the Barn addition (coined as Jac), which will serve as an overall support building to the main welcome area functions.
Noria (historically, a hydro-powered waterwheel), is the name of this third building in the Gather portion of the program. It acts as an indoor/outdoor spa and wellness space that looks to create a strong dialogue between nature and building.
Porosity in a singular geometry allowing for filtered views to the landscape beyond and the quiet play of light and shadow.
A view looking at the welcome center terrace. As much as we focus energies on how we design and develop the individual buildings, we’re also designing for the space between, or the negative space. That pause or relief between the architecture is ultimately what defines how one experiences a space.
The Stables feature six bedrooms, a block of restrooms, and gathering spaces overlooking the site.
The Stables provide private rooms, looking out to a natural prairie, in which to host visitors to the site.
A study for the Ritual building
This building is intended to serve as a conduit between body and nature, providing space for ceremonies, classes, events, and personal discovery.
