News
THE LONGEST PORCH
April 27, 2010
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| Like many suburban Dallas cities, Wylie has experienced explosive growth, going from 10k residents a decade ago to 60k today. So the town's capabilities need to grow, too, says NYC-based Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture partner Doug Moss. (He's a native Texan, so don't click away to LOLCats.com in anger just yet.) To increase services, Doug's firm was brought in to work with ArchiTexas on the Wylie Civic Complex, a $42M municipal project that includes a 46k SF city hall, 47k SF rec center, and a 44k SF library. The back of the three-building facility will have a large green space for outdoor events. | |
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| Doug and client Beverley Byers-Pevitts. The complex broke ground in December '08 (anticipated opening in spring '11) with hopes of changing facilities and improving services in one site, Doug says. The new location is at the nexus of the residential development, near hike and bike trails. The project also features Texas' largest porch:850 feet along the span of the building. (We grew winded walking end-to-end, so thanks to Meg Carlough for taking this pic.) | |
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api4.com and HMB | |
| Doug says the project ties three entirely different building types into one project. The sustainable complex includes rainwater collection, irrigation, and the back porch as a shading device to reduce cooling in the long Texas summers. The long swooping curve—"like a snake"—primarily comes from the stream on the back of the site, Doug says, but he doesn't mind that it moderates the façade in an unusual way: "It makes the interiors of those three buildings far more interesting, too." |
