Residence in the Woods, Raleigh, N.C.

by Jonathan McGaha | April 30, 2009 12:00 am

This private residence literally springs upward from its pristine wooded site. The unique form of the home is a response to significant site changes. Wedged between zoning setbacks, a stream buffer and a steep slope, the program massing was squeezed vertically into a three story home elevated above the uninterrupted group plane flowing beneath. Each level is expressed as a discrete rectangular volume clad in a different material and spun radially from a 40-foot- (12-m-) tall, 18-inch- (457-mm-) thick solid concrete shear wall, creating a wide variety of habitable outdoor spaces. The lowest level spills onto a large teak deck beneath the house that engages the forest by a stepped concrete pyramid. Fully cantilevered stair treads project from the concrete shear wall and shift from aluminum to Maple to Ipe, varying the sound and feel of each stair while allowing light and views to pass through. Vertical circulation maintains a close connection to the diagrammatic and structural centroid of the building.

The residence utilizes 750 square feet (70 m2) of 0.03-inch
(0.8-mm) preweathered Graphite Gray 1/2-inch (13-mm) sinusoidal corrugated panels from RHEINZINK America Inc. that were applied as a ventilated rainscreen.

Owner/architect/general contractor:Michael Rantilla, AIA, Raleigh

Distributor/fabricator: Metal Tech-USA, Peachtree City, Ga.

Metal wall panels: RHEINZINK America Inc., Woburn, Mass.

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/residence-in-the-woods-raleigh-nc/

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