Luv Shak 2.0
This new residence is designed to foster a deep, daily connection to the surrounding landscape. Porches and decks wrap all sides of the home, creating a variety of outdoor spaces that offer comfort, shade, and views throughout the day. A strong east–west organizational axis optimizes solar exposure for rooftop solar panels while shaping the home’s relationship to light and time.
Conceived as a forever home for a retired couple, the design thoughtfully integrates aging-in-place strategies, including gentle ramps and generous circulation widths that support ease of movement over time. A large deck extends from the primary bedroom toward the east-facing pond, offering a quiet place to greet the sunrise and stargaze at night. Inside, the living room’s vaulted ceiling and exposed steel cross-ties minimize structure while maximizing openness and airiness. Set within the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana, the home is both grounded in its setting and attuned to the rhythms of daily life.
Location
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Design Team
Kevin Barden and Joe Rivers
Typology
Residential
Date
2017-2020
Structural Engineer
Fractal Structural Engineering
General Contractor
Dykes Construction
Process
Explore
Walnut Springs Guest House
Johnson City, Texas
Residential
Perched on a rocky rise in the Texas Hill Country, the Walnut Springs Guest House offers a nature-immersed retreat for a city family. Two hand-crafted stone volumes anchor the home, framing shaded porches and a generous central gathering space while sheltering private rooms.
Minh Nguyen
Business Owner & Restauranteur
Food and Beverage
In this episode our resident architects Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden visit with Minh Nguyen, the friendly figure behind Cafe TH in Houston, Texas.
Immersive Tools
Kevin Barden
Writing
At a time when artificial intelligence and digital tools dominate discussions of architectural education, the practice of making large-scale physical models serves as an ever more important tool for the development of a student’s creative voice, sense of discovery, and long-term learning. Through an understanding of temporal and spatial kairotic environments and an iterative process these large-scale physical models possess the potential to embody experiential qualities in a meaningful manner.