Spec House

Explores the everyday programs for a work-live family of four

Houston, Texas
2019 AIA Houston Design Award Winner
2020 Texas Architect Studio Award Winner

Through an analysis of residential development in Houston, a recurring pattern emerged, revealing three dominant architectural trends: room configurations, exterior styles, and arbitrary forms. Developers often describe floor plans as “open,” yet the interiors resemble a series of disconnected, “piggy-back” rooms. Secondary spaces have little relationship to the primary rooms, resulting in a design that limits flexibility and opportunities for improvisation.

In contrast, today’s living patterns demand adaptability.

Spec House addresses this need by designing a home that accommodates the everyday programs of a work-live family of four. Rather than isolating functions into separate rooms, the design allows spaces to shift and adapt within a single volume. For example, the kitchen is not only a place for cooking, but also for doing homework and working, eliminating the need for secondary spaces. Unlike the typical developer layout of small rooms attached to larger ones, Spec House integrates both primary and secondary functions into a unified, flexible space.

A thickened concrete wall serves as both structure and enclosure, while also defining functional areas within the home. This wall bends and shifts where daily work and living activities naturally overlap. Trees and overhangs provide shading to the home’s most active areas, protecting them from direct sun during the hot months.

A secondary wall of vegetation weaves through the interior, notching into spaces and diffusing natural light. Large glazed openings are meant to disappear visually, extending the home’s living areas outdoors. These open volumes float above the ground to encourage natural ventilation, allowing cool, dry air to circulate through the house while removing humid, stale air through operable louvered panels positioned on the roof.