The AIA Houston Residence Tour is again! The annual tour raises funds that help numerous AIA Houston initiatives all year long. Held this Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, the self-guided tour options eight magnificent properties all through the Houston space.
“The AIA Houston Residence Tour is an unimaginable alternative to showcase the various architectural expertise inside our metropolis,” says Shawn Gottschalk, AIA, principal at studioMET Architects and 2025 Residence Tour occasion chair. “I am actually enthusiastic about this 12 months’s occasion as a result of it contains a exceptional vary of properties: an ADU (accent dwelling unit) tiny home, a sensitively-restored mid-century trendy townhouse which served as a mannequin residence for the longer term, to an expansive campus-style residence comprised of a number of constructions and an array of properties in between. Every mission is exclusive in its fashion, dimension, and design, providing one thing inspiring for each customer.”
Houses had been chosen primarily based on design excellence, high quality craftsmanship, modern options, use of supplies, and sustainability. A juried panel comprised of fellow architects, deans of structure faculties, and different consultants select from the a whole lot of mission submissions yearly. To maintain issues sincere, jury members are from out of city, however not too far out of city.
“We aren’t trying to placed on an AIA residence tour of solely Texas vernacular structure,” AIA government director Rusty Bienvenue tells CultureMap. “We wish all kinds of issues as a result of this can be a very various metropolis, and I’m undecided of us from too far-off perceive what’s happening right here.”
Undertaking architects shall be on-site each days of the tour to reply questions guests might have concerning the properties, or the method of hiring and dealing with an area architect. One factor the tour hopes to do is dispel the notion that hiring an architect is one thing that prices a fortune, when in actual fact, it may be the less expensive option to go.
“One of many issues we try to indicate is that each one folks within the space are entitled to good design, it doesn’t matter what their socioeconomic background is,” says Bienvenue. “Hiring an architect doesn’t essentially make the worth go up if you’re constructing one thing. In some ways, it’s going to make the worth come down, as a result of they’re in a position to negotiate with suppliers they use on a regular basis and know what to spec or not. Once you go right into a builder residence, these costs are set.”
This 12 months’s occasion chair is not any stranger to the AIA Houston tour. Gottschalk’s studioMET Architects has acquired an AIA residential design award, an AIA Agency of the 12 months award, and has had their tasks chosen for the AIA Houston Residence Tour for 16 consecutive years, with two tasks featured this 12 months — Wink Residence, designed by Gottschalk himself, and River Bend, designed by Yoonchul You — and he appears to be like ahead to with the ability to share these tasks with the better Houston group.
“Extra than simply an occasion for architects, the AIA Houston Residence Tour celebrates the easy pleasure of nice design,” Gottschalk tells CultureMap. “It’s informal, inspiring, and welcoming to anybody interested in how considerate structure transforms on a regular basis dwelling.”
One residence on the tour is sort of the standout instance of how good design can rework on a regular basis dwelling. Houses on the tour should have been constructed within the final 5 years, or have undergone a major renovation or addition within the final 5 years. “Type in Metal” is a mission with vital historical past, and the town is fortunate that the house was in a position to be saved from the destiny of so many different quirky Houston properties.
In-built 1968 as demonstration properties for the 1969 Nationwide Affiliation for Residence Builders (NAHB) present on the Houston Astrodome Astrohall, the “Type in Metal” townhouses had been a collaborative effort sponsored by the American Iron and Metal Institute (AISI), Houston Lighting & Energy Firm (HL&P), and Common Electrical (GE). Their function was to showcase some great benefits of using metal in moderately-priced residential development, using metal not simply in structural components but additionally in furnishings, tools, and fittings. The townhouses had been designed within the Worldwide Type, taking cues from Mies van der Rohe, by famend architects Talbott Wilson and Hal Weatherford of Wilson, Morris, Crain, & Anderson, the identical agency that co-designed the Houston Astrodome. Designated as protected landmarks in 2007 by the Houston Archaeological and Historic Fee, their destiny after over half a century turned a urgent query.
The townhouses acquired a Twenty-5-12 months Award from the AIA Houston Chapter in 1998, and the house was awarded a Preservation Houston Good Brick Award in 2023. It has been featured in Architectural Document, Architectural Digest, Skilled Builder, Brides journal, and extra not too long ago in Preservation Journal (Winter 2025) and Texas Architect (Spring 2025).
Full-Tour tickets could also be bought prematurely ($35) till Friday, October 17 at 11:30 pm. Single residence tour tickets can be found for $10 per residence, however aren’t accessible for presale. Tickets may be bought on-site.
“It’s one factor to cross by and admire these beautiful properties from the skin, however a completely heightened expertise to step inside and be captivated by the exceptional thought and expertise that went into every design,” says Bienvenue. “We look ahead to seeing you on the tour.”
Every architect collaborating within the tour provided CultureMap private insights into their respective tasks, whether or not that be one thing particular to maintain an eye fixed out for, or the factor they love most about the home. Discover these insider insights under. Every hyperlink contains sneak peek images and the house’s handle.
The Tour
River Bend
“What I really like most is how the design unfolds throughout the location in an extended, single-story plan. From every house, the river is skilled and revealed in a brand new and shocking means.” – Reynold Scott Magnuson
Wink Residence
“The Hammam is certainly one of my favourite components of the house as a result of it brings a contact of Moroccan heritage, turning a easy bathtub right into a second of formality and custom. Sharing a dedication to health and longevity with the home-owner, it’s rewarding to see the trendy residence we designed come alive by means of day by day wellness routines — morning laps within the pool, chilly plunges, and sauna classes.” – Shawn Wesley Gottschalk
Type in Metal
“The trellised entry forecourt on the ‘Type in Metal’ Townhouse is probably the most featured and photographed house of the townhouse. Our objective in restoring the unique architect’s intent for the townhouse included the removing of the added roof and glass window coverings to disclose the supposed open trellised and light-infused forecourt house. A subtlety we respect is the visible engagement from contained in the townhouse looking to the forecourt by means of the two-story window wall, bringing the quantity and lightweight from the forecourt into the home.” – Rodolfo R. Fabre
Gibbs Home
“Paradoxically, my favourite a part of the house is the view from the outside, wanting north from the pool alongside the east-facing aspect of the home. I really like how the lengthy stretch of landscaping leads into the wealthy ebony wooden exterior, connecting naturally with the porch and flowing into the dwelling house. This aspect of the house is full of pure gentle. Massive home windows brighten the inside, the stairwell glows by means of its vertical glass panels, and skylights above the bedrooms usher in smooth, overhead gentle. As a nook residence, we wished to create a robust connection to the aspect yard that faces each streets, benefiting from its distinctive place.” – Brett Zamore
Yard Bungalow
“The factor I like most concerning the Yard Bungalow is how good I really feel when I’m within the house. The standard of sunshine, the comfortable yard setting, the playful kinds all give me the sensation of consolation and chance.” – Bradly Hirdes
Hunterwood Residence
“I’m particularly with how the design balances openness with intimate, private areas, akin to the comfortable spot tucked between the kitchen and household room. It’s a house designed to evolve with the household, providing flexibility in how every house is used whereas all the time feeling grounded, heat, and linked to its pure environment.” – Dillon Kyle
Northwood Residence
“The design of this residence got here from a need for peace, and it was scheduled for development throughout an extremely unsure time. Constructed solely by means of distant collaboration on the top of the pandemic, it turned a mirrored image of a robust sense of belief and shared function. What makes it really particular for the house owners is the sense of calm that fills every room. Carried by the sunshine, the supplies and ease come collectively to create a quiet, restorative house for a younger household.” – Chase Stanley
Hunters Creek Home
“The design is deliberately minimalist, however the craft runs deep. I personally constructed most of the particulars, so each reveal and floor carries the mark of handwork and precision that you just don’t all the time see at first look. What makes this home particular to me is how a lot of it I constructed myself. It’s minimalist in kind, however each inch displays hours of handwork, element, and a love of craft that doesn’t shout…it whispers.” — Kam Biazar.
