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this case. To Kyle's surprise, Transwestern and KPF both agreed. "I don't think that happens a lot," Kyle says. "Many times, condominiums are put into a resultant building that someone else designed. What's important about [this collaboration] is that when we work on a project, modern or traditional, things like center lines, proportions, and light are all essential to the sense of space in a building that feels thought-out. And makes you feel good. These are things that matter — you don't see them or notice them necessarily, but you feel them. People have an inherent sense of proportion. They just do. They respond to it." Kyle's feedback resulted in the terraces being widened and moved (all The Birdsall units now have at least 500 square feet of outdoor terrace space), the center lines and columns being altered, and even the elevator core moved around a bit. It turns out collaborative tweaks — those details Kyle obsesses over — make a world of difference. As a result of the changes, Birdsall residents will step off their elevator and be centered right on a window, rather than a hallway. The Power of Small Touches Kyle also went to work on the private residents-only pool on the 13th floor, partly covering it with ironwork to create something of a sheltered space that's still open to the outside air. "It's very much a result of having worked on John Staub and Birdsall Briscoe houses where ironwork was extremely important," Kyle says. "This more restrained ironwork that Staub and Briscoe would use is more federal feeling and geometric. It's common in carports and screen porches. So we tried to make the pool relate to that sense, to change the scale of being in a pool on the 13th floor to something that felt a little more backyard-ish." This is where that Cedar Bayou brick comes in. The tower that houses The Birdsall hotel and the residences will feature that brick on its lower levels, with the glass of the upper levels giving way to something that's more traditional River Oaks-style. Kyle had influence here too, even accompanying Transwestern officials to the brickyards. Understanding the Power of Houston For Kyle, The Birdsall represents a rare chance to be part of making something that's distinctly Houston. He did his undergrad at Princeton and earned his MArch from Harvard, but he's always considered himself a product of Houston first. Working on The Birdsall represents a potential breakthrough moment for his firm, which has largely taken on residential projects in the past. Still, Kyle has never thought of himself that way. He deliberately operates his firm using the methodology employed by commercial firms, mining the analytics and working in Revit to design 3D models. From top: Renderings of the private pool, firepit, and the arrival area, all exclusively for The Birdsall Residences. "I've always wanted the firm to be more than just a house firm," Kyle says. "A house firm's easy to start on your own. But it is not my end intention in life." When Transwestern came to Kyle and asked if they could use part of Dillon Kyle Architects' strikingly distinctive office space on West Alabama Street as a de facto sales gallery for The Birdsall, he greeted the idea with surprise. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. This is where potential Birdsall residents can see the fixtures that will be used, where they can reach out and touch the very bricks being put in. What better place to illustrate what he is trying to create inside that residential tower. For more information on The Birdsall Residences, visit thebirdsallresidences.com. 36