Memorial Townhome Renovation
Located near Memorial Park, this project is a complete renovation of a townhome. Providing a sense of calmness, an abundance of daylight, and a living canvas for plants and collection of objects is the foundation for the creative energy of this project. In working with the existing structure of the townhome, walls and columns have been removed to allow for an openness that reflects the identity of the client. The multiple skylights throughout the double-height main living space give an immediate connection to time and space for anyone who inhabits the residence, in many ways acting as an internal sundial in the midst of our client’s lifestyle centered around yoga, tea, and travels.
Location
Houston, Texas
Design Team
Kevin Barden, Rafia Imran and Joe Rivers
Renderings
Rivers Barden Architects
Typology
Residential
Date
2022-Present
Structural Engineer
Santee Engineering
General Contractor
Pletcher Construction
Process
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HCU Moody Library Renovation
Houston, Texas
Commercial
The objective of this renovation is to recognize the challenges libraries face and create an environment that will facilitate, support and adapt with these ever-changing needs. As education and research methodologies move away from the traditional typologies of the library, new service paradigms must emerge to capture the needs of the students and the university.
Josh Ryan
Designer, Illustrator and Absurdist
Art and Design
Josh Ryan is a designer and illustrator who specializes in bringing people together with quirky and humorous works. Joe and Kevin sat down with Josh to discuss his artistic development, one of his biggest successes, and the intersections of comedy and art.
Ethos
Kevin Barden and Joe Rivers
Writing
In an essay entitled The Hedgehog and the Fox, Isaiah Berlin quotes the Greek poet Archilochus, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing” (Berlin 7). The essay was written as a commentary on Leo Tolstoy’s view of history, however, the text can offer an understanding for how one might practice architecture as well. For us, this understanding reveals itself in perceiving the environment as a fox and believing in it as a hedgehog.