Royden Oaks Residence

Houston, TX

An oak-filled, suburban neighborhood in central Houston is the site for a residence conceived as a series of layers from front to back cut perpendicularly by ‘slots” which connect the front and rear through circulation and views. These spatial devices organize the program and provide sectional variation while linking the interior of the house to exterior courtyards. The combination of two-directional layering creates a tartan-plaid grid of interlocking interior and exterior spaces, resulting in a hermetic, private, yet open oasis within a relatively dense neighborhood. The house also employs the latest sustainable technology, including a water filtering green roof, water retention cistern, operable windows with sliding shading devices, geothermal hvac system, photovoltaic roof membranes and regional building materials.