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PaperCity_Dallas_September_2021

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darkened tunnel. At its terminus are the private areas — bedroom/study, dressing, bath. The bedroom makes use of built-in furnishings to expand the space — a banquette-lounge seat and bookshelves, both organically tucked into the curve of the walls. The dressing area continued this use of built-ins, tucking closets into the free- flowing walls. The bath encompasses a built-in tub, illuminated by a clear overhead skylight perfectly sited for moon gazing. As the family grew another private oval space was added for their two girls, containing a shared bedroom, dressing area, and bath. The new wing was attached to the tunnel midway between the original public and private areas. The girls' bedroom continues the house's curvilinear motif, with nook beds surrounded by walls. Vistas upon the garden are provided by an expansive curved glass window and glass door. The dressing area employs built-in closets, while the bath features an organic built-in tub. But the most important aspect of the addition of the girls' bedroom was the articulation of the house's unique shape, which evolved to become a sea creature, adding a dose of whimsy without sacrificing the home's pervading organic fluidity and environmental principles. Senosiain says, "The masons started calling the shape the shark, so I put a fin on it, and then it was like a shark." As in the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, almost all the furnishings in Casa Orgánica are built-in. These forms intuitively follow the curvilinear walls and are constructed of either natural wood or ferrocement finished with a paste of marble powder in white cement. Also built into the curving walls are nooks with clear glass shelving utilized to display objects of art. The floors are covered with a wall-to-wall continuous deep-pile carpet in a light sand color. In turn, walls and ceilings are painted to match the carpet, visually creating a single unified volume while fostering a lively dialogue of interior with exterior. At completion, the earth surface atop the house was landscaped with grass and plants to integrate its biomorphic forms seamlessly into the natural landscape. The total enclosed area of Casa Orgánica, a modest 1,873 square feet, offers enough space for a family of four, as well as endless vistas of green that make the house truly a part of its luxuriant surrounding terrain. The architect and his wife no longer live at Casa Orgánica; they moved 10 years ago to a house he designed in Mexico City that pairs elements of organic architecture with an ode to Luis Barragán. At the moment, Casa Orgánica in uninhabited. Nonetheless, the house is rigorously maintained by Senosiain's firm and his gardening and maintenance teams. Current plans call for the residence to be preserved as a house museum, owned and operated by the family, with public tours, bookable through Casa Orgánica's website, offered four days a week. Architect Javier Senosiain' Architect Javier Senosiain 162

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