Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

A Breezy Modular Home Keeps Cool in Austin, Texas

A Breezy Modular Home Keeps Cool in Austin, Texas

Inspired by local residential typology, this 850-square-foot modular home has high ceilings, light-filled rooms, and a central breezeway.

In 2011, a couple approached Ma Modular about constructing a "modest but generous" residence where they could stay while visiting their children and grandchildren in Austin, Texas. With this brief in mind, Ma Modular founding principal Chris Krager developed a custom version of the firm’s Casita 850 home.



The exterior of the home features corrugated metal, wood siding, and weathered steel panels. A V-shaped column helps hold up the front porch.

The Casita 850 is a modular version of the "Texas dogtrot," a vernacular style of home that was common throughout the southeastern United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The typology is also known as a breezeway house, because of the connecting link at the center of the home. This layout works well in hot southern climates because the open corridor allows for cooling breezes.



A central breezeway connects two parts of the home, allowing breezes to pass though.

In this home, one module holds the public spaces (the living, dining, and kitchen areas), while another module hosts the private spaces (the bedroom, office, two baths, and a utility closet). These two modules are bridged by a screened-in porch that is equivalent in size to the other units.



The home's asymmetrical gabled roof defines the ceiling heights of the interior spaces.

The single-level residence has a low, asymmetrical gabled roof with a distinctly modern, if not midcentury, feel. A shaded porch at the entryway helps to mitigate heat from the strong Texan sun.



The generous size and ceiling height of the home's central room make it feel gracious and generous, even though the whole residence is only 850 square feet.

The interiors feature high ceilings and clerestory windows that bring in tons of natural light. The central room acts as an open living space with glazed walls on either side and a skylight.

The two modules located directly off this room are clearly distinguished through their materiality. The kitchen/dining/living module is clad in weathered steel, while the module containing the bedrooms is clad in corrugated metal.



A variety of carefully placed windows fill the living/dining/kitchen unit with light while maintaining a sense of privacy.

Krager is also the founder of KRDB, a design/build/develop firm formed in 2001. Both firms focus on affordable design with a particular interest in modular construction and non-traditional development models.



The kitchen/living/dining unit has an open plan with an L-shaped kitchen and island.



One of the three modules houses the private spaces, including a bedroom, two bathrooms, a utility closet, and a laundry area.



The home's breezeway is glazed on two sides, while the other two sides are bound by the adjacent units.



The custom Casita 850 build at dusk.



The tripartite plan of Casita 850 shows the central breezeway, with more private spaces on one side and more public on the other.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×