The Metal Construction Association (MCA) awarded Tripartite House in Houston, Texasits 2016 Chairman’s Award for the Residential category.
Addressing the issues of urban infill, this home is set on a busy street in a transitional neighborhood. Located where a vacant apartment complex stood, this house is part of a grouping of new homes that reinserts life into the neighborhood. Three stacked layers divide the public and private realms of the home into a strata of functional zones responding to the occupant’s needs. The first floor extends outward engaging views through floor-to-ceiling glass in the public realm and embracing connections to the community and greenspace. The second floor utilizes solid forms with zinc-clad cantilevered areas, which cloak the intimate spaces within. The third floor captures rooftop space into a breezy sky filled zone where occupants enjoy the evening above the fray. By stacking these layers, the home allows greater openness and visual connection on the first floor while maintaining privacy on the levels above.
“It’s a very elegant arrangement of residential spaces with a lot of light and interesting uses of metal,” said MCA judge Mark Dewalt, AIA, Principal, Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, Chicago, Illinois.
“I think the use of different textures, many of which are metal, provide a really nice composition,” said Mark Horton/Architecture, San Francisco, California.
The home is anticipated to receive LEED platinum status though use of sustainable materials, including the zinc façade. Energy minded features were also employed including high performance insulation and AC system, low flow plumbing, and hydrophilic nanocoating with self-cleaning properties. Rainwater is harvested to meet the site’s entire irrigation demand and an expandable solar array is designed to offer future energy independence.
Natural metals helped achieve the project goals of authenticity, quality, and sustainability. Zinc enhanced the modern lines of the home on the façade, creating a durable, maintenance-free, sustainable surface. Zinc also provided more depth and richness in appearance than other materials. Carbon steel, used on the interior though exposed beams and stair structure, expresses the structural logic to the home, relating to the goal of authenticity. As a cradle-to-cradle material, carbon steel also helped achieve the sustainability goals. Weathering steel in the landscape was used to define space without becoming a fence. The beams, made with recyclable content, glow dramatically in the afternoon sun. Completely recyclable clear anodized aluminum was used as panels on the interior, which helped achieved the desired aesthetic, clean lines, and feeling of quality and authenticity in the home. Throughout the project, natural metals enhance the authenticity, quality, and sustainability of the home while enriching the overall experience.
Project Recognition
Building Owners: Rame Hruska and Russell Hruska
MCA Member Manufacturer: Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.
Architect: Rame Hruska, AIA and Russell Hruska, AIA
Contractor: Intexure Design Build
Metal Installer: Ideal Roofing
Metal Fabricator: Ideal Roofing
