EL House, Houston, Texas

The EL House turns openness inward.

The house is sited within Houston’s first ring of post-WWII suburban development. Sites in these areas are subject to extraordinary contemporary pressures centered on value – because of their proximity to the central city – and volume – because of an imperative to maximize floor area.

This value/volume calculus defines the EL House’s starting point. Houston’s maximized envelopes inherently translate to minimized yards, particularly side setbacks. Windows are pressed against neighboring walls or, worse still, against neighboring windows. The result: ‘looking out’ is futile while ‘looking in’ offers myriad opportunities.

A circular courtyard opens up the middle of the house. Notches are cut into the perimeter to create private wells around the house’s edges. Windows are arrayed to foster an ever-changing series of views binding together the house’s interior and exterior relationships. Framed openings lead from a room to an exterior and back to another room, from upper level to lower level, from front to back, and from side to side.

The EL House is at once a courtyard house and a web of enfilade relationships: ‘wobbly axis’ enfilades that stitch together spaces, sunlight, air, social organizations, landscapes, interiors, exteriors, and functional definitions.

Photo credits: Nash Baker, Paul Hester, WW Architecture