---
title: "Meridian House by Specht Novak"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/1ecad084-204a-4137-ae25-a57c10877dde
source_url: "https://residentialdesignmagazine.com/2026-rdaa-custom-urban-house-meridian-house-specht-novak/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/c26df325-ae74-427e-bb6c-4c962b9f01f3
summary: "Meridian House by Specht Novak is an Honor Award-winning custom urban residence that functions as a hybrid house and art gallery, designed for a Studio Museum in Harlem board member. The modernist design features a low white frame, Roman brick cladding, and a central gallery that seamlessly connects private and social spaces while providing optimal lighting and display conditions for the client's art collection."
tags: "modernist-architecture, residential-design, art-gallery-hybrid, urban-house, award-winning, brick-cladding, custom-home"
key_entities: "Jakeb Novak (person), Scott Specht (person), Sol LeWitt (person), Donald Judd (person), Franklin Sirmans (person), Specht Novak (organization), Studio Museum in Harlem (organization), Lucas Interiors (organization), RD Architecture Awards (organization), Indianapolis, Indiana (location), Harlem (location), Columbus, Indiana (location), Austin, Texas (location), Seattle, Washington (location), RD Architecture Awards 2026 (event), modernist-design (concept), art-gallery-integration (concept)"
classification: "reference"
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acp_version: "0.2"
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status: "final"
---

# Meridian House  by Specht Novak

Meridian House by Specht Novak | Honor Award / Custom Urban House | RD Architecture Awards 2026 This client’s long-time position as a board member of the Studio Museum in Harlem is reflected in Meridian House, a hybrid of house and art gallery. It’s also a hat tip to another famous house for art collectors just an hour away—the Miller House in Columbus, Indiana. “I wanted to give a nod to that modernist spirit of Columbus,” says Jakeb Novak, AIA. “There’s something interesting about it being a regional connection.” Oriented to wooded areas and away from the neighbors, the house’s low, floating white frame was inspired by the work of artists Sol LeWitt and Donald Judd. This concrete statement piece organizes and shades the recessed, brick-clad volumes. At the front door, visitors enter a central gallery that establishes a clear axial view through the house and doubles as a circulation pattern to connect the different zones. “It’s an intentional threshold between the home’s private and social realms,” Jakeb says. “The interior volumes of those spaces directly relate to the exterior space, so form and function are in sync. All the individual bedrooms on the right side of the façade are expressed on the front of the house, literally reading the openings.” The jury appreciated the choice of long-format, Roman brick cladding rather than making an all-white exterior with glass and metal. “It’s nice to see brick brought back into an uber-modernist project like this,” a judge said. “It feels clean and fresh rather than like it’s trying to copy something from the past.” Subdued, white-walled interiors are warmed with custom wood cabinetry, brick accents, and surprise moments of light. A monitor and clerestory windows in the vaulted gallery diffuse soft northern light, and glass end walls frame precise landscape vistas, creating a lush backdrop for the art. “The architects are bringing daylight into the atrium in a way that protects the art collection, but it also creates a nice spatial experience,” a judge commented. They also admired the way light rakes down a brick accent wall in the dining room. “It’s a two-dimensional complement to the art without being over-expressed.” Lucas Interiors provided a fresh set of eyes, Jakeb says, helping to pull in warmth with wood and interior selections that created a serene environment. “There’s a level of refinement they were able to contribute,” he says. The result is a quiet setting that complements the art rather than competing with it. “It’s very disciplined, kept super clean so the art is forward,” a judge concluded. Honor Award | Custom Urban House Meridian House by Specht Novak Indianapolis, Indiana Project Credits Architect: Scott Specht, AIA, and Jakeb Novak, AIA, principals in charge; Travis Power, AIA, and John Vesel, project team, Specht Novak , Austin, Texas Builder: F.A. Wilhelm , Indianapolis, Indiana Interior designer: Lucas Interior , Seattle, Washington Landscape architect: Merritt Chase , Indianapolis Structural engineer: Silver Creek Engineering , Indianapolis Lighting designer: Filament 33, Philadelphia Art curator: Franklin Sirmans Project size: 8,600 square feet Site size: 1.39 acres Construction cost: Withheld Photography: Douglas Friedman and Dror Baldinger Styling: Michael Reynolds Key Products Cabinetry and hardware: Fine Line Millworks stained rift white oak; Linnea, Blum hardware Cladding: Glen-Gery Brick, Sto stucco Cooking vent hood: Sub-Zero Cooktop/range: Bluestar Countertops: Alkusari honed limestone, Caesarstone Dishwasher: Miele Drywall: USG Electric floor heat: SunTouch Engineered lumber: Weyerhaeuser Entry doors: Panoramah! Exterior lighting: Lumenpulse, Targetti Fasteners: Simpson Strong-Tie Faucets: Dornbracht, Grohe Fire pit: Gloster Fireplace: Isokern Flooring: Pacific Hardware, polished concrete (basement) Garage doors and openers: C.H.I, LiftMaster Glass: Guardian Grilles: Advanced Architectural Grilleworks, Vexell HVAC controls: Savant HVAC systems: Carrier Icemaker: U-Line Industrial floor coating: Tnemec (garage) Insulation, housewrap: Xcelus, Owens Corning Interior lighting: Element Lighting, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Juniper Design, Allied Maker Landscape panels: Landscape Forms Lighting and home control systems: Lutron Mailbox: Deus Modern Outdoor grill: Big Green Egg, Best vent hood Ovens: Gaggenau Paints: Benjamin Moore Passage doors: VT Industries, Linnea hardware, Hafele pocket door tracks Refrigerator: Sub-Zero Roofing: Firestone Shower drain: Infinity Drain Shower enclosure: Starphire (glass), CR Laurence (hardware) Sinks: Julien, Kohler, Corian Specialty appliances: Gaggenau, Heatsail pendant with integrated heater (outdoor) Specialty metals: Poynter aluminum cabinets and stainless-steel cabinets Surfacing: Porcelanosa Tankless water heaters: Navien Thermal and moisture barriers: Stego Industries, Carlisle, W.R. Meadows Toilets: TOTO Tubs: MTI Baths, Kohler Underlayment/sheathing: Huber Engineered Woods, Georgia Pacific Ventilation: Broan Washer/dryer: LG Water filtration: Cooper’s Water Window shading systems: Lutron Windows: Panoramah! (fixed, skylights, sliding and swing doors) Wine refrigerator: Wine Guardian Specht Novak | RD Case Studies & Awards Loading… Previous Article 2026 RDAA | Custom Urban House | Point Dume Residence | Lake Flato Architects Next Article Housing Starts Weaken in May