Second level kid's bedroom with view to TxDOT planting and top of US I-59 sound wall beyond. Photographer: Daniel Hennessy
Second level kid's bedroom with view to TxDOT planting and bridge crossing US I-59 beyond. Photographer: Daniel Hennessy
First level work space. Photographer: Daniel Hennessy
First level work space with back garden and sound wall beyond. Photographer: Daniel Hennessy
First and second level floor plans
Site plan (map image from Google Earth)
Site sections
Second level living and dining areas with custom perforated brake-form steel guard rail and doors beyond. Photographer: Daniel Hennessy
View from bridge crossing US Interstate (I-59). Photographer: Daniel Hennessy
48’ House is a modest single family residence in Houston, Texas designed to accommodate the changing lifestyle needs of a young professional family. The size and proportion of the house are based upon a 4′ x 8′ framing module ideal for wood and steel construction—minimizing material waste during construction. The house is sited at the rear of a standard lot that spans between a residential street (to the north/front) and a masonry sound-wall adjacent to US Interstate 59 (to the south/back), a location where the interstate is depressed approximately 18’ below natural grade. The mass of the house blocks the majority of highway sound from the front lawn making this an ideal space for outdoor activity under two massive live-oak trees. The first level contains work spaces (an outdoor covered shop, an office, storage, and a half bath). The second level contains living spaces (a kitchen, a forty-eight foot long dining and living space, two-bedrooms, and a full bath).
First featured in Dwell Magazine’s October 2007 print issue, 48’House has received national and international attention for its design innovation and economy. In 2010, it was published in a special ten-year anniversary print issue, Dwell: 100 Houses We Love, 2000-2010.
Photographer: Daniel Hennessy
