HEDS architects' wraps residence in woods in corten steel corrugated to an owl's hoots

night song bridge house inhabits the treetop canopy

HEDS Architects’ Night Song Bridge House has a deep resonance with its wooded site. The topography offered various building opportunities, but a ravine running through suggested intriguing possibilities and the architects imagined a structure that lifts off from the hillside as the slope drops away. The main ‘bridge’ level spans the ravine to elevate the residence into the treetops, taking advantage of the views of the valley and mountains beyond. The lower level is embedded with the earth, made of concrete that terraces with the sloping terrain. The upper level is clad in Corten steel that rusts to the color of the local red clay. Its custom, corrugated cadence is in beat with the night song of a hoot owl, deriving from night-time sound recordings on site.

all images courtesy of HEDS Architects

perched on concrete, wrapped in corten steel

HEDS Architects (more here) creates the bridge as a long bar split with a connecting covered porch, a modern interpretation of the ‘dogtrot’ vernacular — a local southern vernacular building type whereby a breezeway is captured between two living spaces. Large expanses of glass embrace the view to look both up and down slope, while a long skylight extends the length of the house — the house is full of lever-changing light. A perforated metal stair descends to a lower-level family room and children’s bedrooms, where the pool and concrete terraces touch ground.

In contrast to the lightness of the bridge cladding, the lower level is built of concrete, its surface a canvas animated by the dappled reflections of the pool. A series of elements in the house, including the master bath concrete tub and vanities, the two built-in fireplaces, and breakfast table, have amorphous forms that recall the large boulders onsite. These elements both provide additional connections to the site while softening the rectilinear nature of the house.

Night Song Bridge House has a deep resonance with its wooded site

integrating passivehaus strategies

The Night Song Bridge House leverages the fundamentals of passive solar home design as HEDS Architects ensures building massing facilitates cooling through natural ventilation. Large sliding doors open to the dogtrot porch and operable windows within the interior adjacent spaces draw air currents through the living quarters. Automated roller screens transform the porch to a screened area, allowing the living area to partake of the outdoors when weather is temperate. These strategies reduce loads associated with cooling.

The house is super insulated with Passivhaus certified triple-pane windows, R-30+ walls, and R-60+ roof, and sheathing is Huber ZIP system to address thermal bridging. Henry Blueskin supplements the ZIP weather protective barrier, its self-healing membrane inhibiting moisture infiltration due to fastener penetrations. Heating and cooling are handled through geothermal packaged systems using high-efficiency water-to-water heat pumps with an EER rating of 19.7. The above strategies create an optimized envelope design. Additionally, active energy systems enhance the passive solar design. A 12 KW photovoltaic system on the roof and geothermal significantly reduce electrical loads, and a vegetated green roof replaces lost habitat while absorbing rainwater, releasing it slowly into the atmosphere.

the main ‘bridge’ level spans the ravine to elevate the residence into the treetops