#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
Aluminum-clad Bridge House is a multi-generational home optimized for solar gain
Multi-generational homes are making a comeback and looking more stylish now than ever.
Höweler + Yoon Architecture’s recently completed multi-generational Bridge House is one such example. Located on a wooded and sloped site in McLean, V.A., the aluminum-clad family home is optimized to passive solar principles and comfortably houses three generations under one roof.
Although the Bridge House looks like a single-family home from the front, the building actually accommodates three generations within its three stacked metal-clad volumes. Since the house backs up against a wooded ravine, the architects oriented the rectangular building volumes for panoramic landscape views and added triple-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor space. Outdoor patios and roof terraces further connect the building with the woods. Overhangs above the windows help minimize solar heat gain in the summer, while the placement of the glazed openings help maximize solar gain in the winter. Custom-bent anodized aluminum vertical panels and horizontal anodized bronze aluminum panels clad the facade and “create a rich and varied color spectrum throughout the day.”
The contemporary interior is partly constructed from salvaged materials, including the custom-made tables and benches built from recycled wood. The first floor contains the private master suite for the grandparents as well as the public areas, including the kitchen, living room, dining room, and garage. A custom-built timber and metal staircase leads up to the top floor, where four bedrooms—two master suites and the children’s bedrooms—are located and used by the family’s second and third generations. A spacious basement contains recreational space.
