Open Architecture Network

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

FAMILY:
Audrey and Andre Robinson have both made a life out of volunteering to help others. Andre has become his mother’s caretaker as she battles breast cancer. Their home had been in the family for three generations spanning almost 80 years. The home would have likely survived Hurricane Katrina if an 18 wheeler truck parked near by not slammed into it destroying the home.

DESIGN:
The site strategy for the vacant lot is the creation of a set of “in-between” zones and middle grounds between landscape and building and between inside and outside. The program for the house is not defined in terms of rooms, but in terms of transitory programs that provide a nuanced meaning to the definition of “home.” Examples of such spaces are a morning space near the kitchen where a mother can sit in silent meditation, a dressing area where children get a final review by a mother or father, and a study area with a window into the kitchen where a child can ask a parent a question about homework.

The spatial strategy creates expansion, contraction, tension, and inclusion. In the in-between zones can be reconfigured and activities can overlap. In contrast, a porch that allows for singular activities and moments of respite surrounds the perimeter of the house. One can view the landscape that is drawn up onto the house to provide shade and protection from the heat of the day.

The house is constructed of post and beam construction with polycarbonate siding. Windows are made of hurricane impact resistant glazing and impact resistant polycarbonate sheeting. The roofing is a low-slope metal roof system on pre-fabricated roof trusses.

ARCHITECT:
Ray Huff and Mario Gooden formed Huff + Gooden Architects LLC in 1997 as a collaborative architecture practice dedicated to the design and exploration of architecture and its relationships to culture and knowledge. Huff and Gooden work closely together on virtually every project in the office and believe that their in-sync collaboration is key to the success of the firm. www.huffgooden.com