Renovation and addition in progress for a spry couple retiring to Clifton, Virginia. Follow along at ahouseisnotablob.com and @ahouseisnotablob on Instagram.
The Performance Pavilion at Levy Park in Houston, Texas is the centerpiece of the park’s recent rehabilitation. The design team at Natalye Appel + Associates Architects and the Office of James Burnett conceived of the pavilion as an iconic gateway and anchor to the park’s main event lawn, as well as cover for water fountains, restrooms, storage and utility spaces.
The pavilion’s thin concrete roof is a ruled surface, generated by straight lines connecting mirrored curves. Its design allows an architecture that responds to the curvature of the ground plain, yet remains a rational, buildable geometry. As part of the design team at NA+AA, Claire developed and modeled the pavilion’s structural geometry rationale and system.
Since its reopening in 2017, Levy Park has been awarded with many honors, including:
ULI International Urban Open Space Award, 2018
ULI Houston Development of Distinction Award, Urban Open Space, 2018
ULI Houston Development of Distinction Award, People’s Choice, 2018
HBJ Landmark Award – Public Private Partnership, 2018
Paper City Design Award – Greater Good, 2018
ACEC Special Projects Gold Medal Winner, ACEC Texas Engineering Excellence Awards, 2018
ACEC National Recognition Award, ACEC National Engineering Excellence Awards, 2018
ASLA Texas Honor Award – Design, 2018
Houston Press: Best of Houston, Best New Park, 2017
AIA Houston Urban Design Award, 2017
The Overlook at Levy Park in Houston, Texas is an accessible, curving ramp and elevated walk for people of all ages and ability to enjoy. The design team at Natalye Appel + Associates Architects and the Office of James Burnett collaborated to wind the structure amidst the grove of live oaks without jeopardizing the trees’ integrity.
As part of the design team at NA+AA, Claire developed and modeled the overlook’s geometry as a series of tangential curves at consistent structural increments.
Since its reopening in 2017, Levy Park has been awarded with many honors, including:
ULI International Urban Open Space Award, 2018
ULI Houston Development of Distinction Award, Urban Open Space, 2018
ULI Houston Development of Distinction Award, People’s Choice, 2018
HBJ Landmark Award – Public Private Partnership, 2018
Paper City Design Award – Greater Good, 2018
ACEC Special Projects Gold Medal Winner, ACEC Texas Engineering Excellence Awards, 2018
ACEC National Recognition Award, ACEC National Engineering Excellence Awards, 2018
ASLA Texas Honor Award – Design, 2018
Houston Press: Best of Houston, Best New Park, 2017
AIA Houston Urban Design Award, 2017
A project at Natalye Appel + Associates Architects, the Pool House was designed as an addition to a client’s ranch in the Texas countryside. Carved antique columns and doors were to flank the pool, whose floor would be finished with a tile mosaic inspired by Persian rug design.
In 2012, Workshop Houston engaged with the Rice Building Workshop to strategize and design a new campus. From its origin in 2003 as a community bike repair shop, Workshop Houston had expanded to serve the community’s youth through a variety of arts-based after-school and summer programs. Its facilities, the original bike shop and an existing duplex, desperately needed to catch up to the expanded mission. The students of the Rice Building Workshop were tasked with developing such a campus. After a semester-long charrette, Workshop Houston’s administration and board of directors selected the scheme designed and presented by Claire and her partner, Mallory Botsford, for further development.
The following semester, Claire worked with her studio class to refine the scheme and assemble a comprehensive design development package. At the request of professors Danny Samuels and Nonya Grenader, Claire continued with the project after her graduation from Rice to complete the permitting and construction documentation.
The project was recognized with the Houston AIA’s “On the Boards” Design Award in July 2013.
In 2018, the Beat Shop and Style Shop moved into their new homes. Meanwhile, Workshop Houston’s faculty enjoys its own dedicated space in the new Admin Building. Scholar Shop coming soon!
Photos by Danny Samuels.
