This house is conceived as a series of independent ‘stones’ each containing a different aspect of the program and linked through the movement of the occupants. The weight of the brick exterior gives shelter against a busy adjacent street, providing intimacy to the courtyard which opens to the eastern morning light. Blended brick imparts a sense of both solidity and fluidity, breaking down the mass of each stone and uniting them in a single landscape. The single story Living and Dining rooms are anchored to each side of the entry and work to transition the scales of the street and the two-story volumes beyond. The tilted, playful metal roofs alter the perception of the size of the house depending upon the vantage. Nearly every room addresses the courtyard, the distinction between spaces demarcated through fissures of windows and double height cuts. Though its presence on the street is quite public this house achieves a great level of both openness and privacy through its massing and orientation.

2019 AIA Houston Design Award Recipient

Builder: Welch Builders |  Engineer: Fractal |  Photo: Leonid Furmansky