Tall House Bola by William Price is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Bessi in Desain Arsitektur, Bangunan, dan Struktur Competition Category.

BessiArsitektur· 2026

Tall House Bola

by William Price

Client: Bill Price

A' Design Award Bessi Winner in Arsitektur Category

5,090

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #175051

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Tall House Bola

Tall House iyanaritu bola maddeppa to mattuju ri tampa' maciddi, lo' rilonna ri Houston. Duwa volume risusung mappassusunna lima tingkat atuong polé ri laleng lao ri bumbung na masséddi support pangedde' passibawa. Sékka' anging ri tingka' matellué tiwii tajang na anging laleng ri sési'na, mappakulle ventilasi sila-silang na arusu' anging stack effect. Suite tingkat tana riwérén iyanaritu mattambai fleksibilitas, na palette bahan industri matettoi bola ri laleng watakkale kota maraja.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Bessi

Tall House Bola iyanaritu pakoro A' Design Award Bessi, pakalebbi iya malebbi iya ripabbere ri desain makessing iya mappabbura persyaratan profesional sibawa industri iya ripakkirangngi pole ri ciptaan iya makessing ripikkiri. Pakoro Bessi mappakita keterampilan malompo, spesialisasi dalleng, pemahaman ahli sibawa kapasitas kreatif tau mabbuat. Tall House Bola ripakkirangngi mancaji ciptaan iya ripakalebbi, ripuji sibawa rirennu iya praktis sibawa inovatif. Desain pakoro A' Design Award Bessi iyae mappasilaong praktik tepat industri sibawa napaitai karakteristik teknis iya kompeten iya sipulung sibawa pengetahuan sibawa bakat. Nasaba ketelitiannna, Tall House Bola mappoleang pakalebbi sibawa ripikkiri mappabbere perbaikan kualitas laleng iya ritulung mappadeceng lino mancaji tempe makessing.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: A compact infill lot is transformed into a vertical prototype for resilient living. A cantilevered upper volume recalls industrial stacks while operable windows, balcony boxes, and a breezeway bring daylight and cross ventilation. A rentable ground level suite adds adaptability, and recycled materials support resource conscious construction.
Dimensions & Packaging: Approximately 50 ft high, 17 ft wide, and 48 ft long. Three interlocked volumes organize the project: a ground plinth with rentable space, a vertical living stack with a mezzanine library, and a breezeway linking balcony boxes. A double height living room anchors the core and circulation culminates at a roof deck framing downtown Houston.
Tags: Tall House, Cultural sustainability, Environmental sustainability, Urban infill housing, Industrial vernacular, Passive cooling, Vertical dwelling, Houston architecture, Recycled materials, Climatic responsiveness, Adaptive living
Production Technology: A concrete slab on four piers supports a steel frame with a five story wood structure. The corrugated metal envelope shifts from opaque to transparent to tune privacy, daylight, and heat gain. Operable insulated windows and balcony projections strengthen cross breezes, while the breezeway supports passive cooling through stack effect behavior.
Design Challenge: Built on a small grandfathered lot in Houston, the project had to prove livability and financial viability without a client. Four piers and a concrete slab support a hybrid steel and wood frame across five levels. Shaped by zoning, market limits, and climate, the house turns a narrow site into a five story urban home that reframes constraint as opportunity.
Research: Design research tested vertical housing on constrained urban lots, balancing cultural memory with climate responsiveness. Comparative studies of cubic and elongated schemes were refined through environmental simulations and full scale prototyping. Results show narrow lots can support livable, adaptive homes when section is used to drive stack effect cooling and sectional porosity.
Inspiration: The design was inspired by the industrial vernacular of Houstons historic working neighborhoods, particularly the tall boiler stacks of adjacent laundries and rail lines. Motivated by the challenge of building on a narrow grandfathered lot, the project explores how vertical living, environmental performance and cultural memory can coexist. Research into passive ventilation and sectional spatial strategies informed the designs stacked cross ventilated form.
Project Duration: Conceived and built over ten years in Houstons Lower Heights, realized through a design build process beside Olivewood Cemetery. It transforms a narrow infill lot and won the Architecture Master Prize Residential Single Family category, announced January 2026.
Operation Flow: Offering a vertical sequence of living tailored to Houston's dense urban fabric, a ground level suite engages the street, while the second level opens into a double height living volume with a mezzanine. A suspended stair threads upward to the fourth level to capture light and prevailing breezes, transforming circulation into a spatial event. The ascent concludes on a rooftop deck with views of Houston’s skyline. The house balances privacy and openness through a carefully choreographed vertical flow.
Team Members: Bill Price
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Tremain Jackson and Bill Price
Image #2: Photographer Tremain Jackson and Bill Price
Image #3: Photographer Tremain Jackson and Bill Price
Image #4: Photographer Tremain Jackson and Bill Price
Image #5: Photographer Tremain Jackson and Bill Price