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Collection by Andrea Smith

Such Great Heights: 7 Elevated Homes

From slight to great heights, these perched abodes tread lightly on the land.

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NOEM, a Barcelona–based architecture firm, created a metal-clad house for a young client just outside Madrid. It’s raised 12 feet off the ground to offer better views of the landscape, lending it "the futuristic feeling that it just landed," says Pol Guiu, one of NOEM’s cofounders.
NOEM, a Barcelona–based architecture firm, created a metal-clad house for a young client just outside Madrid. It’s raised 12 feet off the ground to offer better views of the landscape, lending it "the futuristic feeling that it just landed," says Pol Guiu, one of NOEM’s cofounders.
A screen porch runs the entire length of building, built over a dry creek bed on embedded concrete piers. The architect says he worked with the varying topography and native pines, turning the building 30 degrees at one point to accommodate the natural contours of the land.
A screen porch runs the entire length of building, built over a dry creek bed on embedded concrete piers. The architect says he worked with the varying topography and native pines, turning the building 30 degrees at one point to accommodate the natural contours of the land.
SYA used standing-seam metal for the rear cladding of the addition, a common local roofing material. Photo: Michael Moran.
SYA used standing-seam metal for the rear cladding of the addition, a common local roofing material. Photo: Michael Moran.
The resident, a Tokyo transplant, commissioned architect Tadashi Murai to create a fully-equipped structure that comes with its own power, heating and cooling, water, and waste-disposal systems.
The resident, a Tokyo transplant, commissioned architect Tadashi Murai to create a fully-equipped structure that comes with its own power, heating and cooling, water, and waste-disposal systems.
Architect Paul Hinkin and his partner, Chrissy Pearce, bought and restored a 538-square-foot Deckhouse at Emsworth Yacht Harbour in Hampshire, England.
Architect Paul Hinkin and his partner, Chrissy Pearce, bought and restored a 538-square-foot Deckhouse at Emsworth Yacht Harbour in Hampshire, England.
With its bold, upswept profile, the roof gives this otherwise simple house its distinctive character. But those curves are not merely for show. The concave forms are integral to the dwelling’s self-sufficiency because they act as water collectors and sun protection. When rain hits the roof, it runs down into holes punched into the valleys created by the tilt of the corrugated-steel sheets. Underneath these holes, which are too small for leaves to penetrate, the water collects in a concealed gutter and is piped down the side of the house and underground to the nearby water tanks. Using a combination of computer technology and onsite observation, the architects calculated how far the main roof would have to overhang the north elevation to let in as much low winter sun as possible, while shielding the interior from the more extreme summer sun. The nearly 13-foot-high expanse of glazing that embraces the views really needed protecting—and the four-foot eave created by the sweep of the main roof does the job well.
With its bold, upswept profile, the roof gives this otherwise simple house its distinctive character. But those curves are not merely for show. The concave forms are integral to the dwelling’s self-sufficiency because they act as water collectors and sun protection. When rain hits the roof, it runs down into holes punched into the valleys created by the tilt of the corrugated-steel sheets. Underneath these holes, which are too small for leaves to penetrate, the water collects in a concealed gutter and is piped down the side of the house and underground to the nearby water tanks. Using a combination of computer technology and onsite observation, the architects calculated how far the main roof would have to overhang the north elevation to let in as much low winter sun as possible, while shielding the interior from the more extreme summer sun. The nearly 13-foot-high expanse of glazing that embraces the views really needed protecting—and the four-foot eave created by the sweep of the main roof does the job well.