Austin-based firm Murray Legge Architecture has completed a new residence near Lake Belton, Texas, designed for a young family seeking sustainability and long-term livability. Nestled within a sloping, three-acre site in the oak and juniper woodlands of Central Texas, the single-story home seeks to balance ecological sensitivity with a refined architectural language rooted in the local ranch house vernacular. Image credit: Leonid FurmanskyImage credit: Leonid FurmanskyThe project, a recent winner at the Texas Design Award, comprises a primary residence and a separate guest suite, both arranged around a central courtyard. The outdoor space, defined by clean, geometric masonry walls, preserves several mature trees and includes a patio and swimming pool. The house offers constant visual access to this controlled internal landscape on one side and to the surrounding wilderness on the other, reinforcing the contrast between cultivated and natural environments. Image credit: Leonid Furman...