HEATING , VENTILATION & INSULATION
UNDER ONE ROOF
A key objective of the design was to achieve a contemporary approach to warmth and the avoidance of modernist box-like forms . The continuous space of the home , with only bedrooms and bathrooms closed off , is a layout that supports the family ’ s closeness . The family and parents ’ areas are on the main level . The kids ’ bedrooms form a single slate-clad volume , suspended 12 meters above the main floor by the ridge beam and accessed by a catwalk .
The most distinctive aspect of the design is the long , copper-clad , tent-like roof , which follows the site ’ s topography . A primary technical challenge was the roof ’ s structure , which , despite its 60-meter length , was designed and engineered to seem light . At the entry side of the house , the roof lifts like a bird ’ s wing off the garage volume beneath , sheltering an outdoor terrace .
The roof and its oak-clad ridge beam choreograph the meandering circulation path through the home ’ s interior , ultimately extending a view toward the forest .
A CONTEMPORARY APPROACH TO WARMTH AND CLOSENESS
This project enabled a benchmark for a finer , more considered level of craft and materiality . The development of this home ’ s design reinterprets the client ’ s mandate for “ rusticity ” by foregrounding the “ mark of the hand ” as opposed to contriving to mimic an aesthetic that emerges from a premachine era . Contemporary construction is very
" Almost all of the natural habitat of the 100-acre property was preserved , including its wetlands ."
much entwined with heavy technology and massproduced components , yet , this project shows how “ human craft ” can still be expressed .
The home celebrates the “ mark of the hand ” by incorporating a significant use of exposed steel fittings fabricated by local tradespeople , and custom-made panels for walls and ceilings by local woodworkers , including the echo of traditional slate roofing patterns — here used for walls . The intention here is not to avoid modern building methods as , for example , some heavy timber post-and-beam homes might do . The intention was to bring soulfulness to the home by thinking through and resolving details in person and by hand , and not merely on a computer screen .
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