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Event offers tours of designer homes
  
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Nine local architects will showcase their home designs Saturday and Sunday at the annual American Institute of Architects home tour.
The homes are open from noon-6 p.m. each day, with tickets available at each location or from the AIA office, 315 Capitol St., Suite 120. Cost is $25, $20 for bike riders.
A variety of dwellings, from live-work spaces to townhomes to single family homes, will be spotlighted in Montrose, the Museum District, Highland Village, The Heights and Memorial. They range in size from 2,900-8,000 square feet.
Organizers said the architects’ challenges from their clients included incorporating such things as sustainable principles, open floor plans, connection of the indoors to the outdoors, light and a mixture of modern and traditional materials.
For more information, go to www.aiahouston.org.
CUSTOM CRAFTED
Location for the AIA homes this weekend and features of each:
1. 1825 Southmore
Intexure Architects
Five urban townhouses, each unique and designed specifially for their owners, occupy a site that could have held 10. The project was planned with a density appropriate to the urban context, yet it maintains individual and community greenspaces. LEED certification has been sought for all the houses, where sustainable features include a geothermal AC system, rainwater harvesting, reclaimed flooring from the previous structure on the site, and the use of other local and renewable materials.
2. 1425 Banks St.
Strasser Ragni
Large expanses of glass define a fully transparent, yet private living area. The design was carefully studied in computer model to maximize sustainable strategies such as overhangs to limit direct sun. A reflective white PVC roof membrane, insulated and thermally broken windows, high efficiency appliances, reclaimed wood flooring, and recycled glass tile are all green features of this house. The design contains no trim or molding, and special emphasis was placed on concealing doors, resulting in a clean line, quiet aesthetic that becomes the backdrop to the clients’ life and belongings.
3. 4904 S. Shepherd St.
Collaborative DesignWorks
Designed on a tight lot, this project explores high density residential and live/work space at the intersection of an established neighborhood and commercial property. Two houses were designed with consideration given to energy efficiency, durability, site utilization, orientation and exposures, and appropriate material selections. Sustainable strategies include a green roof, soy based spray foam insulation, cork flooring, vented rain screen façade, shared thermal mass, tankless water heater, low flow showers and faucets, and high efficiency lighting. The project is planned to be LEED Silver certififed.
4. 3819 Drake St.
Studio Met
Boxes of lap siding supported by concrete block walls are separated by patios and roof decks in this three-bedroom house and one-bedroom guest house. Designed with an open floor plan, courtyard, pool, and large covered patios, the house is well suited for large gatherings. Inside, exposed structural elements, spa-like bathrooms, custom cabinets, and plank and slate wood flooring create a special place in 4,000 SF. An open entry breezeway is cooled in summer by SE breezes, and overhangs reduce heat gain. A high efficiency zoned cooling system also helps keep utility bills down.
5. 4005 Essex Lane
Alan Bianchi, AIA, Architect
This house was designed for natural light, indoor/outdoor living, and to compliment the owners’ art collection. Sun shading devices, such as the vaulted roof, keep out harsh Southern sun and flood the whole house with soft Northern light. The lines between art and architecture are intentionally blurred throughout the house.
6. 626 Hunters Grove Lane
L. Barry Davidson Architect
This authentic all-brick English Georgian country house was designed for a retired couple who wanted space for entertaining and retirement interests. The slate roof, hand molded bricks, and custom cast stone trim and columns are among the many elements that contribute to historical accuracy. Brick joints are natural gray mortar with grapevine tooling, a historically correct Georgian detail. Sustainable features include a roof radiant heat barrier, sustainable harvested pecan wood flooring throughout, energy-rated appliances, low-E glass, and all natural, non-toxic products throughout the house.
7. 6420 Haskell
MC2 Architects
Located across from Memorial Park, the design of this house was dictated by a fault line running directly under the site. This condition generated a design solution that cantilevered the upper levels of the house to maximize the site’s buildable area, planting the building firmly on one side of the fissure. The house uses a torqued steel skeletal strucure to enclose a large interior volume on a small footprint. Leaning over the fault line, the design brings visual expression to the invisible sheer forces that exist beneath. Green features include passive solar design with a west elevation that blocks direct sunlight, and cooling shade trees on the east.
8. 807 Rutland
Schooley Design
The architect-owners of this house cleverly incorporated a modern addition to a 1920s Heights bungalow. In the addition, natural light is provided in the living room by a curved channeled wall made of weight-bearing glass. The design scheme preserves mature trees in the heart of the site and respects the scale and forms of the traditional neighborbood fabric. Screened porches and a roof garden add to abundant outdoor living spaces. Many sustainable strategies were incorporated into the project.
9. 621 East 8 ½ St.
McIntyre/Robinowitz Architects
Designed in a T-shape, this 4,500 SF family house organizes outdoor spaces into three zones: (1) an entry court with a lush landscape of stepping stones, river rock, and ground cover under an abundant tree canopy; (2) the Cat Court, a quiet space with a southeast orientation anchored by an old Live Oak; and (3) the lively Dog Court, where swimming dogs, cannon balls, and squirt gun battles in the swimming pool are always welcome. Modern interiors are warmed by natural wood trim and stained concrete floors.
The homes are open from noon-6 p.m. each day, with tickets available at each location or from the AIA office, 315 Capitol St., Suite 120. Cost is $25, $20 for bike riders.
A variety of dwellings, from live-work spaces to townhomes to single family homes, will be spotlighted in Montrose, the Museum District, Highland Village, The Heights and Memorial. They range in size from 2,900-8,000 square feet.
Organizers said the architects’ challenges from their clients included incorporating such things as sustainable principles, open floor plans, connection of the indoors to the outdoors, light and a mixture of modern and traditional materials.
For more information, go to www.aiahouston.org.
CUSTOM CRAFTED
Location for the AIA homes this weekend and features of each:
1. 1825 Southmore
Intexure Architects
Five urban townhouses, each unique and designed specifially for their owners, occupy a site that could have held 10. The project was planned with a density appropriate to the urban context, yet it maintains individual and community greenspaces. LEED certification has been sought for all the houses, where sustainable features include a geothermal AC system, rainwater harvesting, reclaimed flooring from the previous structure on the site, and the use of other local and renewable materials.
2. 1425 Banks St.
Strasser Ragni
Large expanses of glass define a fully transparent, yet private living area. The design was carefully studied in computer model to maximize sustainable strategies such as overhangs to limit direct sun. A reflective white PVC roof membrane, insulated and thermally broken windows, high efficiency appliances, reclaimed wood flooring, and recycled glass tile are all green features of this house. The design contains no trim or molding, and special emphasis was placed on concealing doors, resulting in a clean line, quiet aesthetic that becomes the backdrop to the clients’ life and belongings.
3. 4904 S. Shepherd St.
Collaborative DesignWorks
Designed on a tight lot, this project explores high density residential and live/work space at the intersection of an established neighborhood and commercial property. Two houses were designed with consideration given to energy efficiency, durability, site utilization, orientation and exposures, and appropriate material selections. Sustainable strategies include a green roof, soy based spray foam insulation, cork flooring, vented rain screen façade, shared thermal mass, tankless water heater, low flow showers and faucets, and high efficiency lighting. The project is planned to be LEED Silver certififed.
4. 3819 Drake St.
Studio Met
Boxes of lap siding supported by concrete block walls are separated by patios and roof decks in this three-bedroom house and one-bedroom guest house. Designed with an open floor plan, courtyard, pool, and large covered patios, the house is well suited for large gatherings. Inside, exposed structural elements, spa-like bathrooms, custom cabinets, and plank and slate wood flooring create a special place in 4,000 SF. An open entry breezeway is cooled in summer by SE breezes, and overhangs reduce heat gain. A high efficiency zoned cooling system also helps keep utility bills down.
5. 4005 Essex Lane
Alan Bianchi, AIA, Architect
This house was designed for natural light, indoor/outdoor living, and to compliment the owners’ art collection. Sun shading devices, such as the vaulted roof, keep out harsh Southern sun and flood the whole house with soft Northern light. The lines between art and architecture are intentionally blurred throughout the house.
6. 626 Hunters Grove Lane
L. Barry Davidson Architect
This authentic all-brick English Georgian country house was designed for a retired couple who wanted space for entertaining and retirement interests. The slate roof, hand molded bricks, and custom cast stone trim and columns are among the many elements that contribute to historical accuracy. Brick joints are natural gray mortar with grapevine tooling, a historically correct Georgian detail. Sustainable features include a roof radiant heat barrier, sustainable harvested pecan wood flooring throughout, energy-rated appliances, low-E glass, and all natural, non-toxic products throughout the house.
7. 6420 Haskell
MC2 Architects
Located across from Memorial Park, the design of this house was dictated by a fault line running directly under the site. This condition generated a design solution that cantilevered the upper levels of the house to maximize the site’s buildable area, planting the building firmly on one side of the fissure. The house uses a torqued steel skeletal strucure to enclose a large interior volume on a small footprint. Leaning over the fault line, the design brings visual expression to the invisible sheer forces that exist beneath. Green features include passive solar design with a west elevation that blocks direct sunlight, and cooling shade trees on the east.
8. 807 Rutland
Schooley Design
The architect-owners of this house cleverly incorporated a modern addition to a 1920s Heights bungalow. In the addition, natural light is provided in the living room by a curved channeled wall made of weight-bearing glass. The design scheme preserves mature trees in the heart of the site and respects the scale and forms of the traditional neighborbood fabric. Screened porches and a roof garden add to abundant outdoor living spaces. Many sustainable strategies were incorporated into the project.
9. 621 East 8 ½ St.
McIntyre/Robinowitz Architects
Designed in a T-shape, this 4,500 SF family house organizes outdoor spaces into three zones: (1) an entry court with a lush landscape of stepping stones, river rock, and ground cover under an abundant tree canopy; (2) the Cat Court, a quiet space with a southeast orientation anchored by an old Live Oak; and (3) the lively Dog Court, where swimming dogs, cannon balls, and squirt gun battles in the swimming pool are always welcome. Modern interiors are warmed by natural wood trim and stained concrete floors.
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