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Open House
function independently but maintains visual connection between the living spaces of the two units.
This was important to allow Logan’s father-in-law
to maintain his private world while still connecting
to his family. Logan says: “Often, my father-in-law
would wait to see if Laura [and I] were done with
whatever we were doing that day. We’d see him
standing there and get a wave. We knew it was time
to come down, or he could come up.”
The concept for the atrium came from the
Roman domus, which took on many functions but
primarily acted as a dwelling space for families in
ancient Rome. A domus usually contained multiple
rooms, courtyards, and gardens, but its most signi昀椀cant feature was the central courtyard atrium — the
center of the house’s social life. The front porch was
another important shared space within the project,
designed to allow its residents to connect with the
surrounding community. “I have always loved the
history of the front porch in a lot of older neighborhoods and the way that it had always been the social
space of the house and the way that it connected
neighbors,” says Logan.
To help preserve this neighborly relationship,
Logan used landscaping to form the boundary
between the street and the house rather than securing the entire property with a fence. The porch is
enclosed by a small pocket prairie 昀椀lled with native
grasses and 昀氀owers. These pocket prairies typically
require fewer resources to maintain and help to
rehabilitate Houston’s ecosystem through the integration of native plants. Additionally, the landscape
attracts visitors who come in many forms, such as
natural pollinators, like bees and butterflies, or
friendly neighbors. This space became a favorite
for Logan’s father-in-law; Logan and his wife would
often 昀椀nd him sitting on the front porch and waving
to neighbors as they walked by.
The remaining squares of the grid are filled
with X’s. These become the living spaces on the
ground 昀氀oor — the entry and studio o昀케ce of the
main house plus the entirety of the 900-sf secondary dwelling unit, which comprises a kitchen, living
area, bedroom, closet, and bathroom. Despite raising the foundation 24 inches above the 昀氀ood plain,
Logan opted to 昀椀nish the ground 昀氀oor interior with
water-resistant features like concrete 昀氀oors, raised
outlets, and seamless cabinetry to further protect
against Houston’s notorious 昀氀ooding.
Across the atrium is an entrance from the driveway into the studio office of the primary dwelling unit. To the right, white oak stairs illuminated
by skylights lead upward to the main living space
of the house. The second 昀氀oor hosts most of the
functions for the home, including the living room,
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LEVEL 1 (BELOW)
1 FRONT PORCH
2 SHARED COURTYARD
3 SHARED OUTDOOR DINING
4 PARKING
5 ENTRY
6 STUDIO
7 SECONDARY DWELLING UNIT
8 POCKET PRAIRIE
LEVEL 2 (ABOVE)
9 KITCHEN
10 BALCONY
11 DINING
12 LIVING
13 LIBRARY
14 BEDROOM
15 BATHROOM
16 UTILITY
17 MECHANICAL
18 OPEN TO BELOW
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