Is Hometta political?

To some extent that's an unanswerable question, since as a collective, we don't dictate the motives of our participants. But in our new podcast, Ana Miljacki and Lee Moreau, principals of the firm Project_, describe what many Hometta participants see as their reason for joining us: to support Hometta as a "channel for the dissemination and democratization of design, which is incredibly important," according to Lee.

An outtake from our interview with Ana and Lee.

The husband-and-wife team has always had the "ambition of rattling the cage," according to Lee, and with Stanley and Oliver, they hope to rattle the particular cage of mass-market builder housing. What was originally designed as a site specific project, said Ana, takes on "political urgency" when it's made available to a wider section of homeowners, expanding options and access to good design.

"We have to take on activisim as one of the cores of our practice," she added.

A matched set of architects.

"A very small percentage of residential houses are produced thoughtfully," said Ana. By joining Hometta, Project_ feels they're "allowing for better, thoughtful design to proliferate on the same scale that developers are able to tap into, while also allowing clients to feel like they are in control of the process."

For more on Project_, Hometta, and the future of residential housing, check out this piece from the Boston Globe.

We're having fun lately here at Hometta World Headquarters, receiving schematic designs from the 11 new studios we welcomed to our collective this year. One of our newest is the Panel House, as it's tentatively named at the moment, which lets you have as much transparency or privacy around your house as you want and need.

From Dan Hisel's blog, Temptation by Space:

THE PANEL HOUSE IS DESIGNED AROUND THE CONCEPT OF A MODULAR, VARIABLE SKIN THAT OFFERS THE CLIENT THE OPPORTUNITY TO "TUNE" THEIR HOME TO SUIT THE NATURE OF THEIR SITE.

A DOZEN OR SO PANELS (PERHAPS LESS?) RANGING FROM INSULATED, TO TRANSLUCENT, CLEAR GLASS, LOUVERED, AND VARIATIONS OF THE ABOVE, ALLOW THE CLIENT TO COMPOSE A FACADE THAT RESPONDS DIRECTLY TO EVERY UNIQUE SITE CONDITION. GREAT VIEW? ALL GLASS. NOSEY NEIGHBORS? SOLID PANELS. WESTERN LIGHT CAUSING GLARE? LOUVERED PANELS. UGLY STUFF TO THE SOUTH BUT STILL NEED THE LIGHT? TRANSLUCENT PANELS.

We love the way Panel House can be customized almost efforlessly to meet changing site needs. What would your panel configuration look like?

The Shot-trot, built by Hometta founder Mark Johnson and designed by (and with construction supervision from) Hometta designer Brett Zamore, received a Community Improvement Award for residential new construction from the Houston Heights Association at their annual dinner last night.

We were especially honored to receive this award as the Heights is one of Houston's most significant historical neighborhoods, with numerous Victorian homes and bungalows that have literally stood the test of time. Under the stewardship of their owners, they are still beautiful and functional after 50-100 years or more on earth.

The fact that the judges deemed our modern bungalow an asset to such a revered traditional neighborhood supports our belief that Hometta homes can enhance any neighborhood, be it traditional or modern, urban or suburban.

Where do you want to build your Hometta house? Let us know, and we'll help you choose the right plan.

The Shot-trot is one of Hometta's most celebrated—and affordable—home plans. Check it out. Watch our podcast interview with Brett Zamore here.