Retreat Center & Cottage

Fort Worth, Texas

2015

This beautiful design was completed by a team including Charles Beck with Moran Hook Architecture in New York. All drawings were executed by Mr. Beck. The retreat center provides a place to rest for a family and their guests in a remote and beautiful natural setting. Sitting in the midst of green hills on a peaceful lake, the retreat center is a low-profiled building with a large roof. Though its massing, it establishes itself as a secure and stable place from which to view the natural surroundings. Featuring large open porches, the building gives guests a sense of prospect over the land and allows them to keep dry during rain events.

The ground floor level is comprised of various spaces, including an indoor-outdoor living room, dog-trot entryway, library, kitchen and staff areas. Bedrooms and a sitting room are located in an attached cottage, visually linked to the main house via a pergola. Primary support spaces for the retreat center are found on the lower level and include an industrial kitchen, storage, wine cellar and grotto. A sunken court and an area-way allow light into the industrial kitchen.

The character to the architecture finds its roots in nature. Wood piers recall the many trees on the property while the clay tile roof finds its beginnings in earth and fire. Stones surrounding the grotto tie in with nearby cliffs and the many natural stones scattered gracefully throughout the property.

Full Drawings (for Mobile Devices):