Guided by nature`s beauty and Houston`s notorious climate, an

Splendor in the
This home, designed by Lake | Flato Architects of San Antonio, demonstrates the firm’s intention for the lot and home to function as one.
Embracing the outdoors with a playful openness, the residents easily commune with the lush environment, rich with pine trees and a varied
native understory. This home is among six locations on the 2011 Rice Design Alliance Architecture Tour. (See p. 36)
Guided by nature’s beauty and Houston’s notorious climate, an award-winning
firm’s design provides a local family with a verdant urban oasis
By SANDRA COOK
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| Photos by HESTER+HARDAWAY
house& home | M a r c h 2 0 1 1 | h o u s e a n d h o m e o n l i n e . com
Glass
The front entrance is screened in a slatted hardwood, to provide a privacy layer for the mostly glass home. This yields a front door that is actually a
gate leading to an outdoor Japanese garden room.
In contrast to its signature skyscrapers and freeways, the Houston
area is blessed with a multitude of wooded neighborhoods. Our
area’s ample annual rainfall and the resilience of our wonderful
native trees provide natural solutions for the long hot summers.
The heavily wooded Memorial area, set along Buffalo Bayou on
Houston’s near west side, is known both for its near-continuous
green canopy and its stunning homes on generous lots. Several years
ago, a young family found their own slice of paradise in one of
those lush Memorial neighborhoods.
“We absolutely fell in love we the lot, but not so much the previous house,” says the homeowner. So they turned to Ted Flato who
happened to be a cousin and happened to be a principal at the
nationally recongnized Lake | Flato Architects in San Antonio.
The resulting home is a haven for the family of three and their
trio of Labradors. “Ted was so brilliant about the placement on the
lot,” says the homeowner. “The whole house stays shaded all day
and never gets warm, even in Houston summers.”
Though Flato studied in California and his firm is based in
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Setting the house in the right spot to take advantage of the best features of the lot was essential to the success of the design. The architects used elements of the house, such as strategic placement of the solid walls, to minimize or even enhance the less-attractive features of the lot.
San Antonio, he was born and raised in Corpus Christi, a Gulf
Coast city with a climate not that different from Houston’s.
For every project, the firm collaborates with the landscape firm
throughout design process, in this case, McDugald Steele. “We
consider the environment as a key piece of the puzzle,” says Flato.
“The outdoor space is as important as the indoor space, and most
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importantly, we think about how rooms can engage the outdoors.
We think about elements of the house and the site as one big
canvas.”
A NATURAL DRAW
“This lot had a beautiful deep draw – a little ravine,” says Flato.
Three keys to Lake | Flato’s approach
1. Address the landscape: consider how the building will relate to
the environment. The wooded lot offered a small, private forest,
punctuated by the gentle topography variation of the ravine.
2. Think about the climate and weather, letting the more significant
conditions shape much of the design. The biggest factor was
Houston’s intense sun, so exposures to the east and west were
limited, while exposures to the north and south were maximized.
This also takes advantage of the prevalent southern breeze, yet
care was taken to block chilling north winds.
3. Consider the context. Lake | Flato sought to use materials that
make sense for the location. “In Houston, we had to use materials
that can weather the climate,” says Flato. “A metal exterior (copper
in this case) is a better choice than wood in humid environment.”
Stucco walls soften the look and introduce color, yet are solid. The
steel skeleton of the structure is built to handle powerful winds.
Each section of the house leans on each other, so support and stability are unending.
BELOW: Stucco in various earthy hues is used on several walls, both inside
and out. It was stained with a concrete floor stain to bring out variation in
texture. The mottled stucco texture softens the hard edges of the steel and
glass structure and introduces color into the greenscape.
“Such topography is very special in Houston. The views into nature
are dominated by lots of big, tall pine trees.”
From inside, much of the house focuses on the shallow ravine
that lies on the south side of the property. The forest-like landscape,
animated by squirrels, birds and the family’s three dogs, provides a
constant daytime show. The two-story volumes offer a variety of
The multitude of windows ensures that natural light and the lush landscape are welcomed into the interior spaces.
Expanses of vertical grain fir, playful shapes and curious pathways combine with the front-to-back and side-to-side views
to enhance the indoor/outdoor feel of the home.
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boxy shapes and playful passages.
“The lines of the home flow both horizontally and vertically to
feel spacious as well as to showcase the tall pine trees,” says Flato.
“The arms of the structure stretch out into the landscape. It is a playful house for a playful family.”
NEVER A BAD DAY
“Houston has an environment that is very verdant, but it’s easy to
forget that when you’re driving around on the expressways,” says
Flato. “For this house, nature was the driver of the design.”
With the natural setting as the home’s dominant feature, the
result is very much like a large tree house that happens to be on
the ground.
“We wanted a friendly house, with space for kids to play,” says
the homeowner. “We asked for something very open and the results
are absolutely beyond our expectations. It’s amazingly quiet, even
with all that openness. No matter what the weather, there’s never a
bad day – aesthetically speaking. If it’s pouring down rain, the
rain chains are so great. I just love it.”
RIGHT: From inside, the playful home resembles a large tree house with its
delightful barn shutters, generous catwalk, and creative combination of
wood, steel, stucco and glass.
The home’s exterior, comprised of copper, stucco, glass and steel, was built to be maintenance-free. A long stucco wall connects the house to the pool cabana,
which serves as a game retreat for gatherings. The stucco wall creates a courtyard for the pool area, screening it from the driveway.
The home’s broad overhangs reach toward the wooded landscape, almost
physically connecting to the branches of the trees. The overhangs also provide
ample shelter from sun and rain.
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A screened-in porch sits off the back of kitchen. This transition from inside
to out was built like a cozy den, complete with fireplace, and is a favorite
place for the family in the winter months.”
Architect Ted Flato says his firm sought to make a house for Houston that didn’t make you feel like you didn’t want to go outside,
but rather encouraged its residents to enjoy the outdoors.
RESOURCES
ARCHITECT: Lake | Flato Architects, San Antonio,
210.679.2396
LANDSCAPE: McDugald Steele, 713.868.8060
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL:
Gulf Coast Air Conditioning, 713.644.1861
STRUCTURAL: Consulting Engineers Corp.,
Washington, D.C., 703.481.2100
LIGHTING: Bill Jansing Lighting Design, Dallas, TX,
214.742.6040
PLUMBING: Elegant Editions, 713.522.0088
AUDIO/VISUAL: Media Design, Inc., 713.520.0025
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Renaissance Builders,
713.869. 9977
INTERIOR DESIGN: Peggy McGaughy, 713.781.0631
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