“Inverting the roof truss was the 'aha' moment for us," says Yoni Pressman about a house design selected by Habitat for Humanity and built by Rice University volunteers to celebrate the school's centennial anniversary.
Whereas Habitat’s houses tend toward traditional gable and hip roofs, the design by Pressman and his fellow Rice School of Architecture graduate student, Courtney Benzon, turns the trusses upside-down. “It allowed us to give the house a distinct aesthetic presence and create dynamic spaces full of natural light,” Pressman explains.
New homeowner Artissue Flowers shed tears of joy and said to B.J. Almond of Rice News, “I always wanted my own home for me and my kids. I’m so happy that I finally get to have my own home.”
Texas Johnny Brown and the Quality Blues Band perform at Fifth Ward Jam. Photo by Vicky Pink.
Section of Rice Centennial House showing inverted roof truss.
Rice Centennial House volunteers stand proudly in front of the finished house
Yoni Pressman, Courtney Benzon, Artissue Flowers and daughter
Plan
The house is located on Capron Street near the intersection with Lyons Avenue in the Fifth Ward. In its heyday, the area was the vibrant core of a strong Black community. French-African-Americans who migrated from Lousiana to Houston arrived around 1900 and built what came to be known as Frenchtown. The area is the birthplace of Zydeco music, and many still remember hearing the greats at the old Continental Zydeco Ballroom. The De Luxe theater and Silver Slipper are also nearby. Music legends like Texas Johnny Brown started their careers on Lyons. The neighborhood underwent major decline towards the end of the 20th century and has been the focus of various attempts to bring more life back to its streets, include Rice Design Alliance's 99K House Competition. In 2011, artists Dan Havel and Dean Ruck were commissioned by Houston Arts Alliance to create Fifth Ward Jam at Capron and Lyons within stone throw of the Rice Centennial House. Fifth Ward Jam looks like a missile hit the side of a house and left a stage in the center of the blast hole. It is a variation on Inversion, the temporary deconstructed house sculpture Havel and Ruck made on Montrose. The sharp angles of Rice Centennial House and Fifth Ward Jam now frame the vernacular houses that survive and the empty lots that go on waiting on Capron. Perhaps the area is turning a corner.
The orientation of Rice Centennial House creates a variety of outdoor living spaces such as an intimate side yard with a shaded patio and a sunny backyard with a vegetable garden and play area. The inversion of the trusses worked out well. The roof angles a set of solar panels to the Texas sun that offset the owner's electricity bills. Northern light descends through the clerestory windows. It is easy to imagine the Flowers family enjoying their new 1,300-square-foot, 3-bedroom house. Though the finishes are sturdy, not extravagant, the high ceilings of the main room are enviable and make the house seem larger than it is. Those involved in the construction noted that the truss inversion complicated the work of volunteers. I hope that Habitat for Humanity can nonetheless incorporate the design into future projects.
For its innovation and community spirit, the Rice Centennial House is noteworthy among all the various celebrations of Rice University's and Rice School of Architecture's 100th anniversary. The many donors and volunteers, including several members of OffCite's publisher, Rice Design Alliance, have good reason to feel proud.
