When homeowners purchased an undeveloped lot in an established neighborhood in suburban Chicago, they envisioned a traditional two-story home. But after working closely with the design team at Kuklinski+Rappe Architects, the owners settled on a contemporary single-story home that would better suit the needs of the family’s two wheelchair-bound children. The resulting design for the 6,300-sq.-ft. home will allow two generations to age in place.
“It was an amazing family to work for,” said Scott Rappe, principal. “You just knew from the beginning that it was going to be a success.”
An array of suites along a 125-ft. circulation spine compose the five-bedroom home. Between the suites are three courtyards, granting every room direct access to the exterior. Views into the courtyards provide year-round interest as changing light and seasons interact with carefully designed landscapes to offer the children a variety of amenities and sensory experiences.
Durability and sustainability were paramount in the selection of materials and systems. Approximately 3,000 sq. ft. of Petersen’s standing seam Redi-Roof panels were installed vertically to clad a major portion of the exterior façade. The Redi-Roof PAC-CLAD panels, finished in Weathered Zinc, are available exclusively from Petersen and may be specified in either a batten or standing seam profile.
Metal cladding was included in the design palette from early on, Rappe explained. “Given that this was to be a two-generation home, we wanted materials that would be long-lasting and have low or virtually no maintenance,” Rappe said. “We’ve used Petersen products a lot. Almost every home we do includes a variance of their siding or roofing profiles. It’s our ‘go-to’ solution.”
The large, low design solution influenced selection of the PAC-CLAD panels. “Because the house ended up with very long sides, we didn’t want to run traditional horizontal siding. We wanted to break up the surfaces and make them more interesting,” Rappe said. “The Redi-Roof profile that we used has the advantage of offering a vertical line that gave some emphasis to the verticality of an otherwise really long, low house.”
Installation of the PAC-CLAD panels was done by Complete Flashings Inc. in Bensenville, Ill. The contractor is a regular user of Petersen products.