BRUCE ROADCAP ARCHITECTURE
environmentally responsive, technologically modern, materially honest design


TOOLBOX, HOUSTON, TEXAS - 2004
AIA Merit Award - 2005
AIA Small Project Practitioners Award - 2005
Published: Celebrate Architecture - June 2005
Published: AIA Small Project Practitioners eJournal - June 2005
Published: AIA Perspective - March/April 2005
Published: Texas Architect - May/June 2005
Published: Houston Chronicle - May 14, 2005
Published: Luxury Home Quarterly- March 2011
Published: Southern Modern Magazine - March 2011

The "Toolbox" is a new covered parking, storage, and workbench space replacing a 1920's single car garage for a bungalow residence in the Houston Heights. The program dictated squeezing covered parking for two cars between a massive pecan tree and the back corner of the property. Saving the original slab helped lower costs, and minimizing new slab additions prevented damage to the large tree during construction.

The project is open on all sides to reduce scale and provide ventilation and natural light. The workbench element is visually separated from the roof and opens completely to the covered slab beyond two pairs of rolling metal doors. These doors are suspended from a laminated wood beam supported on poured-in-place concrete columns, providing lateral support for the open structure. To maximize storage of tools and equipment, wood studs and trusses are spaced 24" apart. A canvas covers the end truss and is stretched between web members. Bolts, screws, and all structural hardware are oversized and extended to accentuate connections. The small window in the workbench area is sized to the siding and framing module providing a direct view to the kids play area. Wood siding and color match the original 1920 house, while the corrugated metal roof recalls the former garage.

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South Elevation

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3d Exploded

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Southeast Corner

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Southwest Corner
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Southeast Corner

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New Site Plan

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Northwest Corner

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Night Glow
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Southwest Corner

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Section

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Workbench

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Southwest Corner
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Column Detail

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View Portal

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Access Ladder

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Canvas Detail
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