Copper helps balance an abundance of natural light and a direct connection to nature with the owner’s need for privacy in the Orchard Willow Residence in Chicago. The 6,000-square-foot, three-story, single-family residence is located next to a schoolyard, allowing for an open southern side yard, which is unusual in the city.
According to architect to Jon Heinert, AIA, at Wheeler Kearns Architects, Chicago, the site’s exposure provided an opportunity to access natural light throughout the day while creating challenges with how to achieve the desired privacy.
Heinert says the goal was to create a home that was modern, yet timeless. “The forms and materials used are simple and clearly understood rather than complex,” he says. “The home is designed for a young family looking to plant roots. We wanted the materials chosen for the home to be a reflection of them, aging and transforming as they would.”
The owner’s desire to be connected to nature, along with their long-term outlook for life in the home, helped determine how the house was built and what materials were used, according to Heinert. “A palette of long-lasting, natural materials that patina over time were selected, allowing for the regular weathering and aging to symbolize the client’s life in the home,” he says.
Completed in October 2012,
Tuschall Engineering, Burr Ridge, Ill., fabricated and hand-installed 5,000 square feet of flat lock panels of 16-ounce pre-patinated copper in Nordic Light Brown from Aurubis, Smethwick, England. The flat lock seamed wall panels, installed in a stacked bond pattern, clad the upper floors of the home, which floats above a broad glass pavilion. Over time, the copper panels will evolve from a bright, shiny finish to a dark, mottled purple to an eventual green patina.
Set at natural grade, the residence’s first floor is surrounded by a board-formed concrete wall, creating a sense of texture and irregularity while providing complete visual privacy within the garden. The wooden-framed interior living space is connected to the exterior by large sliding doors from Fleetwood Windows & Doors, Corona, Calif., and a continuous stone floor. Initially oiled, the wood siding is left to grey over time, and the stone floor extends out to the enclosed garden, taking on the seasonal strains of tree leaves. “Like the copper, the wood will eventually change color and turn to a silver gray,” Heinert says. “We were looking to use materials that would allow the house to continually change over the course of time and always remain complementary to one another.”
Heinert says all of the materials were chosen for their ability to weather and transform over time. “However, the design of the home separated the upper bedroom floors as a distinct volume that floats above the lower roof,” he explains. “This placed a great deal of emphasis on what the material selection for that volume could be. Copper was the most appropriate choice because of it’s rare beauty as it patinas, and it’s durability over time.”
Orchard Willow Residence, Chicago
Awards: 2015 North American Copper in Architecture Award for New Construction and 2014 AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award-Honor Award
Architect: Wheeler Kearns Architects, Chicago
General contractor: Norcon Inc., Chicago
Structural engineer: Enspect Engineering, Merrillville, Ind.
Landscape architect: McKay Landscape Architects, Chicago
Metal panel fabricator/installer: Tuschall Engineering Co. Inc., Burr Ridge, Ill., www.tuschalleng.com
Copper: Aurubis, Smethwick, England, www.aurubis.co.uk
Sliding doors: Fleetwood Windows & Doors, Corona, Calif., www.fleetwoodusa.net
Photos: Steve Hall-Hedrich Blessing, Chicago