Marfa Housing Complex

UT Austin School of Architecture, Spring 2017 (Critic: Judith Birdsong)

The Big Bend Sector of the U.S. Customs & Border Patrol is headquartered in Marfa, Texas, a town renowned for its rich artistic scene thanks to the influence of Donald Judd and his Chinati Foundation. The fine arts compound is adjacent to the sector headquarters and down the street from a city block occupied by housing for border patrol agents and their families. The existing housing has fallen into disrepair and is in need of replacement.

Marfa has no police force, yet it sees staggering influxes of tourists throughout the year so Marfans must rely on border patrol agents for public safety. However, a tension exists between the agency and locals; allegations of the border patrol abusing its authority are common. Since the presence of hundreds of federal agents in a town of only 2,000 residents is pervasive, building trust between the two groups is critical.

The new border patrol facility provides 26 housing units for agents and their families while also dedicating a long swath running down the center of the block as a public park. To draw in the public and tourists, the park aligns with the road leading to the Chinati Foundation. It is surrounded on all sides by an elevated promenade so that civilians and agents alike can watch their children play in the field below. The agents are provided their own areas of refuge: each quadrant of the site encloses a commons for the families that live there.