Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Grennoch Residence
Cesar Bejar

Grennoch Residence

Applied products
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Despite the damage of Hurricane Harvey, the clients maintained a desire to call this neighborhood their home. They wanted to consider how the design of the house could respond to potential future storms, providing resilience while allowing for an outdoor lifestyle and connection to the landscape. The design mitigates the necessity of raising the house with this desire to connect to outdoor spaces. In response, the design provides for outdoor living spaces at the ground level while also recessing outdoor spaces within the volumes of home.

photo_credit Cesar Bejar
Cesar Bejar

Located within the 100-year flood plain, the design creates a prototype for residential construction in the areas adjacent to Houston's bayous. Rather than following the minimum 5' lift dictated by FEMA, the first floor is elevated a full story above grade. The ground level accommodates spaces for outdoor living, storage, and parking, while upper floors contain spaces for indoor living and working. The volumes of the upper floors rest on the stucco walls of the ground level, cantilevering slightly to provide a sense of depth.

photo_credit Cesar Bejar
Cesar Bejar

The house offers resilience against future flooding, with the CMU and stucco finish of the ground level able to resist potential damage. The flat roofs reduce the potential for uplift to occur during hurricane force winds. A photovoltaic array provides energy during a power outage and offsets energy requirements during Houston's summers. Rainwater is collected and stored in cisterns. This rainwater is used to maintain a garden that primarily features native plants and fruit trees.  

photo_credit Cesar Bejar
Cesar Bejar
photo_credit Cesar Bejar
Cesar Bejar
photo_credit CONTENT Architecture
CONTENT Architecture

Project credits

Architectural Design and Construction Administration
Landscape Architects
Photographers

Product spec sheet

thermostat
shower drain
plumbing fixtures
Logis, Croma Green collecti..., Metris S and LOGIS MODEL by Hansgrohe SE
plumbing fixtures
Euphoria Stick Hand... and CONCETTO by GROHE
countertops
Strata Argentum and Neolith Beton by NEOLITH

Project data

Project Year
2021
Primary Building Material
Other
Wood
Building Area
4060 sq ft
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