How does an architect know it is selecting the best product for the job? In the case of the Pound Ridge House in Pound Ridge, NY, Kieran Timberlake of Philadelphia went above and beyond, placing material samples at the chosen home site and then waiting. It was the results after one year that led the firm to specify stainless steels from Contrarian Metal Resources for the unique home's construction.
As with the choice of materials, great care was taken to select the perfect spot for the home. Despite 33 acres of wooded, rocky terrain to choose from, the ideal location quickly became clear—a plateau that includes large builders and is split in two halves by a revine. The home was ultimately designed as two volumes connected by a bridge that crosses that gully. The site, which is the highest on the property, offers views of the surrounds that change according to the time of day and the season. The owners wanted a home "in the woods" and "of the woods" and that's exactly what the architect gave them.
Spectacular in every way, the one-of-a-kind home's exterior is comprised predominantly of InvariBrush™ Stainless Steel, InvariGlass™ Stainless Steel. Both are products of Contrarian Metal Resources, Allison Park, PA. There's also tin-zinc coated copper and glass. The pairing of the InvariBrush™ and InvariGlass™ reflects the environment in very different ways, honoring the home's presence among the woods and allowing its edges almost disappear among the trees, boulders and terrain.
Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) were used for enclosures, with narrow construction and detail tolerances creating a well-insulated home.The glazing too minimizes thermal transfer in terms of heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. In addition, apertures for cross ventilation greatly reduce the need for air conditioning. The result is an 85 – 90% opaque envelope.
Lessening the energy demands of the home, and keeping heating and cooling costs to a minimum was part of the design goal but the paramount concern was the home's interaction with nature—including the bouders and forest. In its selection of the Contrarian products, the architect melded the natural and built environments with tremendous success.
“When we researched products and did a number of studies we decided on metal and were drawn to InvariGlass™ because of its durability, abstract quality and beauty," said project architect Jon McCandlish. "To ensure that we selected the best materials we created full-size mock ups on site and let them sit there for a year. We tested other materials as well; however they did not perform to expectation in 3 months, whereas the InvariGlass™ still looked beautiful after a year. InvariGlass™ has an almost religious quality to it; its specularity and clarity led us to Contrarian Metal Resources. We are also very happy with the contrasting stainless steel InvariBrush™ that Contrarian provided as well. It too performed very well in the test. Our partners were chosen wisely and carefully and the results speak for themselves,” he added.
Photography by Peter Aaron/OTTO; Architect: KieranTimberlake