© Paul Hester

保罗·海斯特

罗尼·赛尔夫(RonnieSelf)对圣·伊曼纽尔高架住宅(St.EmanuelHouse)的最低限度设计，允许他的家与周围

The minimal design of the elevated St. Emanuel House by Ronnie Self allows for maximum interaction between his home and the surrounding diversity of elements.

 © Paul Hester

保罗·海斯特

凸起的浇铸混凝土板几乎没有留下脚印上的景观；只有一个小的存储空间和楼梯轻触下来，破坏景观。由此产生的方案有助于创造城市的非凡景观，同时也增加了街道层面的隐私。外壳采用硬质板，并遵循标准尺寸的模式。北面高地上的凹槽相当于主要生活空间内建的一个大书架，直接体现了客户极大地印象深刻的藏书的重要性。

The uplifted cast in place concrete slab leaves almost no footprint on the sight; only a small storage space and stair lightly touching down disrupt the landscaping. The resultant raised program helps to produce the extraordinary views of the city while also increasing privacy from the street level.  The exterior is clad in HardiePanel and follows a pattern of standard dimensions. A notch on the north elevation corresponds to a large built-in bookshelf in the main living space and is a direct representation of the significance of the client’s vastly impressive book collection.

 © Paul Hester

保罗·海斯特

乍一看，这所房子的计划似乎是长方形的。但经过进一步研究后，很明显，该计划实际上模仿了具有西方优势的地段的形状。房子喜欢这条高速公路一侧的地段，而不是邻里一侧，在任何其他情况下，这似乎违反直觉。然而，一旦一个人熟悉了它有助于创造的观点，那么背后的思想过程就会变得明显起来。

At first look, the house appears rectangular in plan. But after further examination, it is clear that the plan actually mimics the shape of the lot, which has a splayed Western edge. The house favors this freeway side of the lot, as opposed to the neighborhood side, which under any other circumstances would seem counterintuitive. However, the thought process behind such becomes evident once one becomes acquainted with the view it helps to create.

 © Paul Hester

保罗·海斯特

基本计划包括一个贯穿整个家庭的钢楼梯，其馀部分或多或少围绕着这个中心元素。进入住宅后，一个人走进起居室，西北角的五个从地板到天花板的玻璃窗立刻迎接了他们。这些窗户俯瞰着远处两条繁忙的高速公路和市区的汇合处。不断的车流创造了一个不断变化的地形，就像一条流动的河流，与坚忍的休斯敦天际线并列。卧室布局符合欧洲住宅计划的精神，两间卧室纯粹是卧室，没有壁橱，甚至没有门。这些房间为一间单独的浴室提供了三明治，并为毗邻的走廊提供了一整堵储藏室。

The basic plan consists of a steel staircase penetrating through the entire home, with the rest of the program more or less revolving around this central element. Upon entering the residence, one steps into the living room and is immediately greeted by five floor-to-ceiling glass panes in the Northwest corner. These windows overlook the convergence of two busy freeways and downtown in the distance. The constant flow of cars passing by creates an ever changing terrain, like that of a flowing river, in juxtaposition to the stoic Houston skyline. The bedroom layout is in the spirit of a more European residential program, with two bedrooms that act purely as sleeping chambers, void of closets and even doors. These rooms sandwich a single bathroom and lead to supplying the long, adjacent hallway with one entire wall of storage closets.

 © Paul Hester

保罗·海斯特

一个大的ipe木甲板覆盖了整个屋顶平面，并让位给开阔的全景景观。除了楼梯组本身之外，屋顶甲板上唯一突出的元素是一个提升的部分，作为其下面的浴室的牧师。屋顶最终成为一个充满体验的地方，它可以看到热闹的城市，活跃的高速公路的声音，周围植被和邻里的气味，以及阳光和微风的感觉。

A large ipe wood deck covers the entire roof plane and gives way to an open, panoramic view.  The only element jutting through the roof deck besides the stair set itself is a lifted portion acting as a clerestory to the bathroom below it. The roof ultimately becomes a fully experiential place with its view of the lively city, the sound of the active freeway, the smell of the surrounding vegetation and neighborhood, and the feel of the sun and breeze.

厨房的两边都有窗户，一个可以俯瞰院子和外面的社区，而另一个则透过楼梯向另一边的书房望去。窗户的数量和位置使房子成为一种观察不同规模运动的工具：从充满活力的城市，到安静的邻里，到内向地回到住宅本身。

The Kitchen boasts windows on both sides; one overlooking the yard and neighborhood beyond, while the opposite one looks through the stair set to the study on the other side of the home. The amount and placement of windows make the house a kind of tool for viewing different scales of movement: from dynamic city, to quiet neighborhood, to introspectively back in on the very residence itself.

最后，圣伊曼纽尔大厦的设计是一种思想和手感之间的完美平衡，除了不断与之互动的城市之外，它还成为客户/建筑师的适当代表。

In the end, the design for the St. Emanuel House is a perfect balance between thought-out and hands-on, becoming an appropriate representation of the client/architect in addition to the city it is constantly interacting with.