The trio of aluminium-clad blocks that make up this Virginia residence by Höweler + Yoon Architecture are organized in a bridge-like formation, providing three generations of a household with separate residing spaces .
Boston-based Höweler + Yoon Architecture designed the property for a site between a suburban growth and a wooded ravine in McLean, Virginia.
The residence is conceived as three separate volumes – 1 for every of the 3 generations – that are linked by a glazed box.
Two ground-level blocks act as podiums to assistance a horizontally lying third volume that kinds the upper floor. This formation inspired the project name, Bridge House.
“The Bridge House seems as a single family home from the front,” explained the architects, whose latest projects incorporate a swing installation and a futuristic transport idea.
“Its rear elevation reveals an inner organisation made to accommodate 3 generations living together under one roof — or in this case, inside three volumes that act as a quantity of roofs.”
The smaller sized of the two ground-floor volumes offers a private suite for the clients – the grandparents of the household – although the greater is used as a communal residing spot. The household kitchen, lounge, dining room and garage are set inside this multi-goal block.
The gap among the two ground-floor blocks is enclosed by two glazed walls that frame a view via the centre of the creating to the woodland behind.
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This glazed area offers an further household living space that is bracketed by a pair of outside patios – one particular at the back and a single at the front of the home.
“The void produced below the bridge-like volume feels like an extension of the outdoors and makes it possible for the landscape to move by means of the house, blurring outside and inside room,” explained the studio.
A timber and metal staircase provides access to the uppermost volume, which contains four bedrooms and marble-lined bathrooms for the family’s 2nd and third generations.
Two master suites bookend the upper floor. One is utilised as a guest space for the client’s going to daughter, although the second suite and adjoining balcony are occupied by the client’s son and daughter-in-law who live in the room with their two children.
The children’s rooms have access to an outdoor terrace at the back of the residence and are separated from each other by a bathroom.
Big windows in the bedrooms encounter into the woodland ravine to the rear of the residence.
To help retain heat in winter and to hold a awesome inner temperature in summer, the windows have been triple-glazed. The glazing is also recessed into bevelled openings in the facade to advantage from the shelter of an overhang.
“The angle of the bevel is calibrated to mediate solar achieve on all full-glass facades to generate a minimum edge detail,” explained the studio.
Opaque locations of the creating give privacy from neighbouring residences to the front and sides.
These sections are clad in a combination of vertical panels of anodised aluminium – a reference to the tongue and groove panels employed on neighbouring homes – and horizontal shingles of anodised bronze aluminium.
This variation is intended to “generate a wealthy and varied colour spectrum throughout the day”.
Interior furnishings like tables and benches are created from recycled wood, whilst a staircase and fireplace have hot-rolled steel and wood information.
Both the staircase and fireplace also operate as structural factors, pinning the three blocks together.
Photography is by Jeff Wolfram.
Ground floor plan 
First floor prepare 
Area Dezeen
