A private residence in eastern Pennsylvania blends traditional charm with contemporary detailing—capped by a standing seam aluminum roof that supports solar integration and environmental performance.
Designed by studio26 Homes, the project responds to a constrained suburban site with a complex massing strategy: curved extrusions, intersecting rooflines, and contrasting finishes form a sculptural composition that balances function with visual appeal. Standing seam metal roofing provides the backbone for the design’s sustainability goals, anchoring a rooftop solar array while reinforcing the home’s contemporary-traditional hybridity.
“The house had to perform from an environmentally friendly and high-performance, energy-efficient standpoint,” says Brian Baker, principal at studio26 Homes. “The vertical ribs and seams allowed us to anchor the solar system without penetrations, which helped bring the composition together in the end.”
The roof features aluminum panels in a warm brown finish. Snap-and-clip integration allowed for efficient installation, and the concealed fasteners support solar panels without requiring mechanical seaming or seam caps. “It can play very country, classical and timeless with an old farmhouse look… but it can also play more contemporary and anywhere in between,” says Baker. “So, it was a perfect match for us.”
The panel system’s integral seam provided the attachment point for solar mounting hardware without compromising the building envelope. The solution preserved the roofline’s visual clarity while achieving high thermal and energy performance targets. A rooftop solar array supplies power to the residence, aligned with the home’s broader sustainability goals.
The project was recognized with first place in the “Residential Roofs” category and third place in the “Sustainable” category of a 2024 award program. It also received the Metal Architecture 2025 Design Award in the “Solar Integration with Metal” category for its elegant balance of aesthetics and technical integration.
Baker notes the roof’s contribution to the overall design: “It just really helped make the whole composition come together in the end and then obviously add in the function of being able to anchor in the solar panels.”
The aluminum roofing system was manufactured by ATAS and distributed locally through ABC Supply Company. Munn Roofing & Sheet Metal served as the installer. The project highlights how solar-ready metal roofing can serve as both a technical platform and a visual anchor for hybrid residential design.
