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Listening to the language of the existing historic home, this addition of a new Garage Quarters, Outdoor Living, Pool, and Gardens blends seamlessly with the property’s original character while enhancing its functionality. Natural light, refined detailing, and careful material choices create a timeless connection between old and new, honoring the neighborhood’s architectural heritage while meeting the needs of contemporary living.

Location

Houston, Texas

Design Team

Kevin Barden, Joe Rivers, and Esmer Leija

Typology

Residential

Date

2021 - 2023

Landscape Architect

Falon Land Studio

General Contractor

Heavenly Homes

Photography

Leonid Furmansky

Process

Explore

Luv Shak 2.0

“I like to see weather changing. The flash and crash of lighting and thunder. I like the morning light before sunrise, the day sounds of life awakening. I like strong wind gusts. I like the sound of rope running through a tackle block.” (Client Manifesto excerpt)

Marcus Martinez

Art and Design

Marcus Martinez is a Houston-based Illustrator whose work has reached beyond architecture into diverse areas such as design, medical technology, and urbanism. Joe and Kevin sat down with Marcus to discuss his early influences and experiences in architecture and design, his sketching process, and what excites him about his work as an illustrator.

Naturally, Wood (Selbstverständlich Holz)

Writing

In 1995, the Swiss architect Gion Caminada and structural engineer Jürg Conzett wrote a short essay for the magazine Archithese about the (then) new and continued building practices using wood in a small remote village called Vrin.