A new chapter in our summer sketchbook—today, as a part of the OAA Summer Sketches Series, we are sharing the work of Howard Rideout (Architect).

A Home Suitable for a Presidential Guest

This sketch was prepared while I was designing a ceremonial residence for the Mayor of Changsha, China. The home was intended to serve not only as a private residence but also as a secure setting for hosting visiting dignitaries—potentially including the President of China. Organized around a central courtyard, the design explored the relationship between architecture and landscape, with a series of pavilions carefully positioned to capture views across the valley while preserving privacy.

Although the project eventually evolved in a different architectural direction, this early axonometric sketch became an important part of my design process. It established the composition, massing, and tonal qualities that informed the final illustration, which later received an Award of Excellence from the American Society of Architectural Illustrators. Looking at this sketch nearly a decade later, I find it possesses an immediacy and expressive quality that the finished rendering—despite its greater refinement—does not quite capture. Sometimes the first ideas tell the story most clearly.

Click here to see more Summer Sketches.