That’s Soooo Houston
HESTER + HARDAWAY
Carrie Shoemake, Houston architect: It’s hard to talk about Houston architecturally. It was formed with a wildcatter, I-can-do-this mentality, so there’s a broad mix of vernaculars. The things that move the senses here are the green – that soothing aspect of shade trees and green hues and how that affects our buildings and the quality of the light – and the sky, the fragrances, the seasonal aspect, like in the spring, the first sight of those beautiful tulip magnolia trees. Our humidity also affects the light and the sky, especially our sunsets – such a theater of colors, light and refraction. Because we’re in air-conditioning so much, we need to be able to access the outside – screened porches and ways to balance the light. We can have it come into a room from more than one direction to reduce the glare – a result of the moisture in our air. We can place windows so the light moves seasonally around the room. It reminds us that we’re part of the solar system, it’s free and we can all experience it. And in Houston, it helps make up for our lack of seasons.
Dave Thompson of ttweak, co-author of HIWI (Houston. It’s Worth It): Everybody talks about Houston’s diversity, its lack of zoning, but I prefer to call it permissiveness – the idea that it’s okay to do what you want regardless of your neighbors. You don’t have that keeping-up-with-theJoneses so much here. If I want to put pink flamingoes on my lawn or cover my house with beer cans that’s okay. My accountant painted her house bright orange with a purple trim and that was fine with her homeowners’ association. It’s the aggregation of these things that make it so Houston. Take that stretch of Buffalo Speedway between Bissonnet and Holcombe: You’ve got all kinds of architecture there – ranch-style houses, cottages, Tudor, faux chateaux, that crazy “Darth Vader” house with the big black triangle. Will I see a Colonial? Yes! A bungalow? Yes! A contemporary? Yes! It’s bizarre. I love it. It’s just an extraordinary freedom of expression.
Above: Houston residence designed by Glassman Shoemake Maldonado Architects
Residential architecture styles...
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mix freely along Buffalo Speedway