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Tall House Primarna funkcija: Kuća by William Price

Tall House Primarna funkcija: Kuća by William Price is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Гвоздена награда A' Design Award in Дизајн архитектуре, зграда и конструкција Competition Category.


ГвозденаАрхитектура· 2026

Tall House Primarna funkcija: Kuća

by William Price

Client: Bill Price

Гвоздена награда A' Design Award Winner in Архитектура Category

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The Design

About Tall House Primarna funkcija: Kuća

Tekst knjige: Tall House je vertikalno stambeno zdanje izgrađeno na uskoj, nasleđenoj parceli u Hjustonu. Dve naslagane zapremine organizuju pet nivoa stanovanja od ulice do krova, istovremeno podržavajući pasivno hlađenje. Natkriveni prolaz na trećem nivou propušta svetlost i vazduh kroz presek, omogućavajući unakrsnu ventilaciju i strujanje vazduha putem efekta dimnjaka. Stambena jedinica u prizemlju, pogodna za izdavanje, dodaje fleksibilnost, dok industrijska paleta materijala učvršćuje kuću u njenom gusto naseljenom urbanom okruženju.

The Recognition

About the Гвоздена награда A' Design Award

Tall House Primarna funkcija: Kuća је добитник Гвоздене награде A' Design Award, престижног признања које се додељује добрим дизајнима који испуњавају професионалне и индустријске захтеве очекиване од добро осмишљених творевина. Добитници Гвоздене награде показују велико умеће, високу специјализацију, стручно разумевање и креативне способности својих твораца. Очекује се да Tall House Primarna funkcija: Kuća буде високо цењена, дивљена и вољена творевина која је практична и иновативна. Овај дизајн награђен Гвозденом наградом A' Design Award уграђује најбоље праксе индустрије и има компетентна техничка својства повезана са знањем и талентом. Захваљујући темељности, Tall House Primarna funkcija: Kuća заслужује поштовање и осмишљен је да пружи побољшања квалитета живота која помажу да свет буде бољи.

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

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