© Murphy Mears Architects 2022

Carlton Woods Residence

Single-Family Residence | The Woodlands, TX | 2017

| Paper City Design Awards 2018: Winner, Residential Architecture Over 3,500 Sq-Ft |

Carlton Woods Residence - A structural steel beam provides a line of separation between living and dining spaces in the open first floor plan.

 

 

Carlton Woods Residence

An arboreous lot at the end of a street in The Woodlands, Texas provides an opportunity for a home to open up to its natural surroundings. Perimeter foliage provides an increasingly dense privacy screen as the property widens towards the back. The home spans across the site to maximize connections to this outdoor landscape.

Aside from the study and powder room, all first floor rooms are open to one another. Spatial definition and circulation are controlled by placement of three key elements: an entry/living fireplace wall, and two kitchen storage/appliance walls. Exterior openings align across the home, providing extended views to the site, and balanced natural lighting within. A two-story wing on the east projects into the backyard, providing long distance views through the landscape from the master bedroom and family room. A central sitting room on the second floor separates master, children’s, and guest bedroom suites.

Large windows on the front of the house require no additional shading due to their north orientation. Windows along the back on the first floor are protected by a long trellis and a wide master terrace to modulate direct sunlight from the south and west. Second floor rooms are protected by deep roof overhangs and integrated shades hidden within ceiling pockets.

Durable materials are used inside and out. The cement-based stucco finish is applied over precast aerated concrete plank sheathing instead of typical plywood, allowing for a control-joint free exterior surface and providing an additional continuous insulation barrier. The standing seam metal roof, with its south orientation, is wired for solar panels. Windows and doors are oriented to capture prevailing breezes for cross-ventilation. Generous natural light helps minimize energy needs for artificial lighting. Large roof overhangs and shade devices limit interior heat loads, and increase the lifespan of the exterior envelope.

Carlton Woods Residence - An elongated first floor layout with generous exterior openings maximizes transparency through the house and access to a large private backyard space.

 

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Exterior architectural components shade the back facade and the space within from the south sun while allowing the house to open up towards the backyard.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Shaded outdoor space in the covered terrace, with a view of the family room and master bedroom beyond projecting into the backyard space.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - The family room projects into the backyard, allowing a long distance view across the site, through the covered terrace beyond.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - The family room at the end of the long axis through the interior, projecting into the backyard space.

Carlton Woods Residence - Living-dining-kitchen space with a long view across the entry and into the family room beyond.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Open living-dining-kitchen with the fireplace wall separating the end of the room from the entry hall beyond.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Wood and steel fireplace finishes complement the wood and steel stair beyond. A floor to ceiling window on the front aligns with an identical window on the opposite side of the room.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Open living-dining-kitchen space with south light from the backyard filtered by the exterior wood and steel trellis.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - A central island and two storage walls arranged for open flow through the kitchen and generous views of the backyard space.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Axis through the west end of the kitchen connecting mud room and side door hall to the kitchen and backyard beyond.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Transparent front entry corridor with a ribbon wood ceiling passing through the interior and out to the back terrace.

Carlton Woods Residence - Textures and colors in the owner-furnished items complement the architectural palette in the entry hall.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Arriving in the open dining-living area form the mud room hall, beneath the floating steel and wood stair landing.

Carlton Woods Residence - Open stair with walnut treads and steel stringers floating in the corner of the living-dining space.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - The open stair arrives at a central second floor sitting room overlooking a two-story interior space along the front of the house.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Master bedroom windows stacked over the family room below offer elevated views of the surrounding green foliage.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Sliding glass doors open up to the wood and steel master balcony which overlooks the dense green backyard landscape.

 

Carlton Woods Residence - Front walk aligns with the axis through living room and sitting room above, before shifting onto entry the axis within a landscape buffer.

Carlton Woods Residence - Standing seam metal roof, oriented south for solar panels.