Filed under: Green Building--Residential, Green Living | Tags: green architecture, green building
Marfa, TX, is known for its community of artists and freethinkers, so it makes sense that the town’s architecture would reflect its populace’s values. Architecture firm Candid Rogers contributed the Marfa 10 x 10 Lightbox to the residential mix, and it fits in perfectly with Marfa’s collective aesthetic. At 320 square feet, it’s a tiny, inspiring addition. 
The home’s architecture consists of two stacked boxes clad in rusty Cor-Ten steel siding. The simple, modern structure features a minimalist awning that opens from one wall into the home. This awning structure pays homage in look to the artwork of Marfa’s most famous resident, minimalist artist Donald Judd.
In its explanation of the vision behind the Marfa 10 x 10 Lightbox, Candid Rogers noted,
“As a retreat for thoughtful repose, the Marfa Lightbox embraces the site and landscape of the Southwest. Offering unique connections to the local landscape and the landscapes beyond, including the stellar and fictional.”
It makes sense that a building in Marfa would reference the fictional world of artist and writer, since the town has attracted these creative types for decades. And since Marfa’s been rumored to be a prime destination for extraterrestrial visitors, the stellar reference makes sense, in a wacky way, as well. 
The Marfa 10 x 10 Lightbox won the AIA San Antonio Design Award, 2007 and the AIA National Small Projects Award, 2008. This tiny house is a great example of green architecture and green building.
Photos courtesy Chris Cooper and Candid Rogers
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