Prototype Infill Housing: Throckmorton Site
Dallas
Edward M. Baum FAIA, Architect

This inexpensive housing isn't cheap

© Hester + Hardaway

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As the architect and co-developer of the Throckmorton Site, Edward M. Baum, FAIA, wanted to demonstrate that quality, affordable, energy-efficient housing can be designed and built using conventional means. His prototype infill housing at the site fills gaps—in two senses of the word.

The first gap filled is a literal, physical one. The four housing units span the residential property lines, which in Dallas are 50 feet wide by 150 feet deep. A series of courtyards organizes program elements within each 1,570-square-foot home. The first court acts more like a patio. Covered by an inclined roof, it defines the entry sequence, provides parking space, and yet still allows light to penetrate into the kitchen. The second courtyard forms an outdoor room between the living area and a “flex room,” swing space that can become an office or second bedroom thanks to a sliding interior wall. The third court comprises part of the master bedroom suite.

The Throckmorton Site also fills a gap in the local residential market. Targeted at middle-income buyers, the housing units sell for around $275,000 apiece. In order to keep construction costs down, Baum specified materials and equipment readily available at retail stores such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. Standard wood framing over a waxed concrete slab comprises the building’s structure, clad by T+G cypress boards finished with a UV-resistant stain. Independent, rooftop HVAC units supply the living units with air conditioning. A slatted chain-link fence interweaved with evergreen vines defines the site’s perimeter.

Formal name of Project:
Prototype Infill Housing: Throckmorton Site

Location:
Dallas

Gross square footage:
6,650 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$670,000

Owner:
Urban Edge Developers and Edward M. Baum

Architect:
Edward M. Baum FAIA, Architect
2714 Throckmorton St., Suite A
Dallas, TX 75219
214-522-0533 tel.
214-764-2402 fax