![Westrock Drive House by Tom Hurt](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/09/westrock-by-tom-hurt_dezeen_2364_hero1-852x479.jpg)
Tom Hurt attaches tiered white pods with plywood core to Austin house
Austin-based architect Tom Hurt has extended the back of a ranch house using a series of stacked units and wooden interiors to form a multi-storey living space.
![Westrock Drive House by Tom Hurt](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/09/westrock-by-tom-hurt_dezeen_2364_col_11-852x568.jpg)
The 1,110-square-foot (103-square-metre) structure grows out from the existing low-slung home in Austin. The addition joins the main home through a series of low-lying platforms in the original kitchen and living room.
![Westrock Drive House by Tom Hurt](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/09/westrock-by-tom-hurt_dezeen_2364_col_7-852x1065.jpg)
Covered in white stucco, the contemporary tower contrasts with the 1950s residence, but which was also given a facelift inside.
![Westrock Drive House by Tom Hurt](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/09/westrock-by-tom-hurt_dezeen_2364_col_8-852x568.jpg)
"It reaches into the space with a system of aesthetic and ergonomic 'tentacles' of the CNC-cut plywood platforms... [to] tie the new tower and older house spaces together," said Tom Hurt.
The tower comprises a stack of interlocking units that house individual living spaces: a sitting area, two offices, a reading room and a play loft.
![Westrock Drive House by Tom Hurt](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/09/westrock-by-tom-hurt_dezeen_2364_col_0-852x1278.jpg)
"The owners asked us to create a building addition incorporating very specific living, work and play spaces – spaces that hadn't been available to the owners in the original house," said the architect.
![Westrock Drive House by Tom Hurt](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/09/westrock-by-tom-hurt_dezeen_2364_col_10-852x568.jpg)
For the interior, plywood was used to cut carpentry costs and for its minimal aesthetic. Boards were digitally cut, stained, attached with two-by-fours and screwed together.
Floors are also surfaced with the sheet material, along with benches, shelves, work tops and railings, creating a seamless design.
![Westrock Drive House by Tom Hurt](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/09/westrock-by-tom-hurt_dezeen_2364_col_12-852x1278.jpg)
A series of lightwells draw natural light through the interior, along with white walls to help brighten the spaces further.
![Westrock Drive House by Tom Hurt](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/09/westrock-by-tom-hurt_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x682.jpg)
A rooftop deck completes Westrock Drive House, with views overlooking Austin's Barton Creek Greenbelt, a natural reserve in the heart of the city that offers a variety of outdoor activities.
The Texan capital has seen string of contemporary houses and extensions completed recently. They include a family home clad in stripy white metal, a residence that conceals a double-height atrium, and a hillside dwelling designed to be both modern and rustic.