99K House ready for occupancy
Houston mayor will host ribbon cutting in Fifth Ward

BY MIKE WILLIAMS

	The 99K House, seen during construction in Houston’s Fifth Ward, will be dedicated June 16.

Rice News staff

The 99K House was completed in little more than 99 days, and now Houston Mayor Bill White is ready to put the finishing touch on the high-profile project.

White helped break ground last October and will now preside over a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 16 at noon at the new home in Houston’s Fifth Ward. The product of a competition sponsored by Rice Design Alliance and the American Institute of Architects Houston, the home at 4015 Jewel St. demonstrates sustainable design techniques and materials suited for the hot and humid Gulf Coast. Under the rules, it had to be built for $99,000 or less, and the sponsors hope it will be sold for that as well.

The contest drew 182 entrants from 16 countries, and the winner was Hybrid/ORA of Seattle, which designed a two-story, single-family home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The 1,200-square-foot building features energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling systems. Organizers hope the design, which is easily adaptable to other locations, will be a prototype for future affordable and sustainable housing. 

An architect’s rendering shows the 99K House from the competition entry by winner Hybrid/ORA of Seattle.

The house also serves the mayor’s Houston Hope program, which aims to rejuvenate struggling neighborhoods. The Tejano Community Center arranged for the sale of the house built as a volunteer effort by employees of D.E. Harvey Builders, which chose the project in celebration of its 50th anniversary. The Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority donated the lot.

The architects expect the house to be granted silver status for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which awards certification for environmentally sustainable construction.

The competition was supported in part by grants from Houston Endowment Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission for the Arts and the Houston Arts Alliance.

Learn more about the house and design competition at www.the99khouse.com.