Enduring Quality Inside the home of an award-winning Architect and Rice Professor BY SANDRA COOK • PHOTOS BY PAUL HESTER
Nonya and Jonathan Grenader have lived on the same street in Southampton Place for almost 30 years. The Grenaders treasure the relatively quiet streets and soothing tree canopy of the neighborhood, which borders Rice University. Since 1994, Nonya Grenader, FAIA, has taught seminars and studios for Rice School of Architecture, where she is a Professor in Practice and is Associate Director of Rice Building Workshop, which challenges architecture students to apply their creativity to real-life projects. Her work has garnered numerous awards from AIA Houston and Preservation Houston, so it’s quite fitting that the home she designed for she and husband Jonathan in 2007 is included in this year’s Rice Design Alliance Architecture Tour. “It’s an honor to be included in the tour with other Rice faculty,” says Nonya Grenader. The tour marks the 40th anniversary of RDA and the Centennial celebrations of Rice University and the Rice School of Architecture. To celebrate these occasions, the 2013 RDA tour features homes designed by Rice Architecture faculty from the past century. (See page 14 for tour info.) The Grenaders’ home consists of a two-story main house and a two-story studio structure linked by a dogtrot-style porch and an
Architect Nonya Grenader designed the home to be in harmony with the elements and to maximize the views of the trees on the lot. The Grenaders’ home includes a serene mix of antique pieces, distinctly modern furnishings, black and white photography and whimsical works of art. The dining room features an old farm table paired with more modern Prague chairs. 2
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upper-level bridge. From the beginning, Nonya and Jonathan sought to have a garden with a house, rather than a house with a garden as afterthought. “We established the footprint of the house with the purpose of saving the trees, which include two large magnolias, a camphor tree, an oak and a pecan tree,” says Nonya Grenader. Like many couples whose children have gone on to careers and college, Nonya and Jonathan were seeking to simplify when they decided to build their new home. Fortunately, the lot they were building on was located next door to the home the Grenader family had spent the past 23 years in. “We were ready to have fewer rooms and to edit our things in general,” says Nonya. Nonya’s architectural work and teachings are often focused on small to mid-size spaces that are efficient and flexible. “A small space can yield quite a bit of function,” she says. “Rooms that are designed to be flexible can serve many purposes.” Nonya primarily designs residential projects and says she feels fortunate to have worked with great clients. “I think of clients as a narraThe living room, situated at the front of the home, takes in the two grand magnolias that grace the sidewalk. The furniture is arranged for conversation, with a variety of seating choices that instantly communicates the room is a place where individuals and their ideas come together. Early modern pieces, such as an Eames Compact Sofa, tubular Brno chairs and a Nelson bench are grouped with older pairs of chairs, which were flea market finds. Jonathan and Nonya designed the iron and glass coffee table.
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tive—it’s how someone’s story influences a house. A house is very personal and the client adds as much as the architect.” Nonya maximized the space in her own home under the centrally located stairs by carving out a nice-sized pantry and computer nook. A shelf within the pantry serves as a cantilever for a bench in the entryway next to the stairs. THE ELEMENTS
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ARCHITECTURE
“Architects have always been mindful of sustainability—that’s a lot of what we do,” says Nonya. “For example, considering sun/shade exposures, taking advantage of breezes for ventilation and allowing for drainage are things that architects think about.” For their living space Nonya focused on maximizing the views of their trees, as well as cross-ventilation. All of the rooms feature wide views of the wooded lot and in consideration for keeping those trees nourished, the house sits on a pierand-beam foundation, so rainwater drenches the land, and doesn’t just run off to the street. The house is laid out with a linear concept to take advantage of the existing magnolia, camphor, oak and pecan trees. The entry and the kitchen feature Ram windows that stretch all the way to the 10-foot ceiling.
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The house employs various methods of passive sustainability. These include keeping the original mature trees, building roof overhangs to maximize shade, being conservative about exposure to afternoon sun, selecting windows with high R-values and aligning those windows for optimum cross ventilation. Utilizing a raised pier-and-beam foundation allows breezes to blow and rainfall to be absorbed by the earth below. The home is highly insulated and clad with durable materials, such as clay tile and Hardie siding. All of these measures result in lower energy bills, less maintenance and greater durability than average. Additionally, the garden area has no grass to mow, only jasmine and lots of permeable surface, so the ground can make use of water, especially during heavy rains. GOOD TO BE FLEXIBLE
“Our first step was to determine the amount of square footage we really needed,” says Nonya. “Architecture is often about editing and knowing what’s essential.”
Ease of entertaining was a priority in the kitchen. No-fuss Silestone countertops provide durable workspace, and a floor-to-ceiling hospital-style curtain can quickly hide the sink and cook top while guests linger after dinner. Bird houses by The Art Guys. Panoramic photo below kitchen window by Eric Hester. Pear photographs by Paige Kempner.
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The plan of the 1800-square-foot main house is essentially just four rooms: two over two with stairs in middle. Nonya designed every room, every inch, to be useful and multipurpose. On the first floor, the street-side magnolias embrace the living room, while the kitchen and dining room connect to the deck and dogtrot area via doorways and floor-to-ceiling windows. The second floor of the main house includes the master bedroom and bath, as well as a library that doubles as a guest room. A 700-square-foot, separate structure houses studio spaces for Nonya and Jonathan, who is a structural engineer. Nonya’s firstfloor studio lies just across the porch from the dining room, while Jonathan’s second-floor studio is set off from the master bedroom by a metal bridge. His studio also converts into a guest room. Nonya’s studio serves as an overflow dining room when the couple hosts large groups. STRENGTH OF THE TEAM
Jonathan often collaborates with Nonya on design projects. “A favorite thing of mine is seeing the exposed rafters of the roof,” says Jonathan. “I like seeing the structure at work.” Jonathan also praises Nonya’s talent for controlling the footprint, yet working in adequate space and function into a home. “I think other architects primarily think of the design and the The Grenaders’ home is designed to handle big groups for meetings and entertaining. For example, Nonya’s studio is just steps from the dining area of the kitchen. The studio offers ample space for resources and materials, and doubles as an overflow dining room when they are hosting a houseful.
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Flow from inside to outside was a central design goal for Nonya and Jonathan. The home embraces the natural beauty of the lot and the surrounding neighborhood. The raised pier-and-beam foundation and window placement take advantage of the prevailing breeze. The Grenaders enjoy the shadow play from the tree branches added atmosphere of the bamboo, Japanese maples and Asian jasmine.
RESOURCES
ARCHITECTURE: Architect Nonya Grenader, FAIA www.nonyagrenaderarchitect.com BUILDER: Mainland Construction, Gary Inman, 713.523.0398, www.mainlandconstructioninc.com ENGINEER: Christof Spieler/Matrix Structural Engineering, 713.664.0130. LANDSCAPE: Mike Anderson, 713.984.1342 WINDOWS: RAM, 281.495.9056, www.ramind.com CLAY TILE: D’Hanis Brick & Tile, San Antonio, Texas, 800.299.9399 COUNTERTOPS: Silestone www.silestoneusa.com FLOORING: 5” white oak
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look of a house, but Nonya’s first priority is the pragmatics: how it will hold up in the rain, overhangs at windows and doors, those physical qualities that help a house hold up to the elements,” says Jonathan. Nonya says Jonathan was a very good client, giving her lots of helpful input. She also says she was pleased to work with Gary Inman of Mainland Construction. “Gary has a great understanding of trees and protecting root systems, like our magnolias,” says Nonya. “A house really is a team effort by the architect, homeowner, builder, landscaper and structural engineer,” says Nonya. “Often the contractor is an incredible resource. If you’re lucky enough to have a good team, then you really respect the collaboration and realize the advantages of that whole process.”
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home tour PHOTOS BY PAUL HESTER
RICE DESIGN ALLIANCE 2013 ARCHITECTURE TOUR
CENTENNIAL TOUR
APRIL 6 & 7
This year’s Rice Design Alliance Architecture Tour commemorates the 40th anniversary of RDA and the Centennial celebrations of Rice University and the Rice School of Architecture. Dubbed the Centennial Tour, the ten significant Houston residences featured were designed by Rice School of Architecture faculty throughout the school’s 100 year history. These captivating homes were designed by educator-practitioner architects, including William Ward Watkins, Anderson Todd, and Nonya Grenader. According to Rice Design Alliance, the homes on the tour are a testament to the enduring impact that the school has made on the residential community in Houston. Spanning 10 decades, tour attendees are given a unique opportunity to reflect on the changes and evolutions—from the traditional to the avant garde—that architecture has undergone over the past century, as interpreted by local talent. The tour is open to RDA members and their guests. Information: (713) 348-4876 or www.ricedesignalliance.org.
6136 Kirby Drive 1996, Wittenberg Partnership
1318 North Boulevard 1926, William Ward Watkin
1 Spring Hollow 1958, James C. Morehead, Jr.
9 Shadowlawn Circle 1961, Anderson Todd
2246 Quenby Road 1972, 1982, William T. Cannady
9 Pine Hill Lane 1989, Carlos Jiménez Studio
2231 Wroxton Road 2008, Nonya Grenader
2424 White Oak Drive 2012, Taft Architects
2409 Avalon Place 2009, Interloop—Architecture
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