It was very innovative to actually get three different units and making sure they each get light.
— Stella Betts
Location Houston
Client Lydia Afeman
Architect Kinneymorrow Architecture
Design Team Michael Morrow, AIA; Natalya Egon, AIA
Structural Engineer Post-Tension Solutions of Texas
Geotechnical Engineer Ram Testing
To combat the single-family housing mentality prevalent throughout Houston, the East 24th Street Houses maximize the potential of a narrow half-lot to accommodate three dwellings within two buildings. The front building, which contains the owner’s 993-sf, ground-level unit and a 495-sf rental above, is connected by a shared courtyard to the second rental unit, 403 sf, with carport and storage below. Fiber-cement siding, aluminum windows, and composition shingle roofs are used in unconventional ways to achieve a simple, rhythmic aesthetic while maintaining a strict budget. The narrow profile allows ample daylighting, and a central lightwell in the front building channels sunlight into the two dwellings.