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Alterstudio Architecture of Austin designed this house in the Texas capital for a young family of four.

“In the beginning I really wanted the container to be off the grid but solar is still very expensive in San Antonio, especially for small spaces,” says Hill. “The green roof was an element that I had not thought of at the beginning, but as it turns out saves me more money on air-conditioning than the solar would have, and is a lot prettier.”

The main level of the Franklin Mountain House is built with volcanic rock basalt and granite from the region.

The house has two modules: a living space on the left and a utilities, laundry, and outdoor kitchen on the right.

Jaque Studio didn't want the pool area to be crowded with beach chairs reminiscent of a resort. Instead, there is this petite relaxation zone.

The blackened timber cladding helps the prefab to blend into the forest. The interior of the home was conceived as two blocks that house less flexible spaces like the bathroom, kitchen, and storage. This approach helped to avoid the use of interior walls, “freeing up the rest of the spaces to connect with the setting,” explains iHouse. “The forest is framed at all times.”

Exterior, view from the garden

The office features a combination of built-ins and furnishings that maximize space and storage.

soft grays and natural materials

The home takes the form of two volumes that slide past each other. The front door leads directly to the center of the home, which connects to the both the entrance courtyard and the rear pool area, dissolving the boundaries between interior and exterior space.

Full-height windows wrap the room, and glass sliding doors lead to the terrace.