Design Architect Bauworks
Architect of Record and Landscape Design Albers Chang Architects
Structural Engineer Insight Structures, Inc.
Contractor CB Cooper Construction
An avid collector and former art consultant who grew up in Houston, the owner knew early on she would be living in a modern house to be designed by their architect family friend. The first floor of the house was conceived for entertaining and as a gallery dedicated to the works of contemporary Texas artists. The owners fondly describe the house as “a refuge for us and a special place that fully represents our sensibilities to welcome and host our family and friends.”
The Plus Minus house is sited in the established neighborhood of Southampton, Houston, near the owners’ shared alma mater. While its scale is deferential to surrounding traditional houses, it references modernism of the 1920s and 1930s. Unique to few neighborhoods in Houston, the planning of alleys in Southampton encourages unencumbered visual and physical engagement to the street. As a result, the public-facing dining and living rooms could be arranged along the front, with the remaining rooms configured around the courtyard and pool. Executing the minimalist design required every connection and material shift to be extensively considered and refined.
