Residential architecture elegant and truly affordable

Interview: Upe Flueckiger

Urs Peter (Upe) Flueckiger is a Swiss-licensed architect who lives and teaches architecture in Lubbock, Texas. The home he designed and built for his young family on 21st Street in Lubbock was the subject of a recent article in the New York Times which pointedly noted that the modern structure was built for “the startlingly low price of $51 a square foot”. Far from the oft quoted $150 to $250 “affordable” range that we often see in the media. His minimalist house is colorful, surprisingly large, 2750 s.f. on a 50x150 lot, and attractive. Proof that for residential architecture elegant and truly affordable are compatible and attainable.