Metal Cladding

A concrete slab at the entry transitions to a staircase of recycled tawa.

Seeking more space and a seamless transition to the outdoors, Steve and Colleen Nusinow of Redondo Beach, California, turned to Robert Sweet.

In the Kensington Market district in Toronto, the Gradient House features gray cement board cladding and corrugated steel roofing.

A bridge spans the home’s steep site for street access.

Unlike its next-door neighbor, R-House, TED wasn’t originally planned to meet the exacting Passive House standard. The building’s green bona fides came largely from four roof-mounted thermal solar panels and a 120-gallon water storage tank that architect Tim McDonald attests would have met nearly all of the home’s heat and hot-water needs. After submitting the proposal, though, he completed a course in the Passive House standard. Inspired, McDonald modified the original approach, ditching the tank and thermal panels in favor of a highly insulated, airtight envelope—the equivalent, he says, of shielding the house from the harsh Syracuse winter with a fur coat instead of a windbreaker.

The house that Kem Studio designed for Sarah Magill on a narrow lot in Kansas City has a steel facade with reclaimed cypress cladding near the entrance. The entire structure sits atop a steel foundation set on concrete piers that were driven into solid stone.

Galvanized sheet metal is used in places where the architects manipulated the home’s skin by pushing it out or carving it away. The rest of the residence is wrapped in black corrugated sheet metal. “We looked for exterior materials that were made with recycled content and available in large amounts, so as to reduce the number of hours painting the stuff,” Logan says.

All openings are shade-protected with wide overhangs that prevent overheating and allow maximum light to enter into the living space. Natural ventilation, created by openings in the facade, negates the need for air conditioning. The firm developed a custom joiner for the powder-coated aluminum window frames, providing floor-to-ceiling views without the use of costly commercial window systems.

Amy: We were very opinionated when it came to the siding as well. Hardie board was suggested because it's so economical and we did have budget realities, but we felt it was too played out. We feel it will look very dated soon. Cedar was always a must on top, so that the house would blend into the woodland scenery and grey and weather naturally over time. We selected a dark charcoal color to coat the reverse standing seam metal by Taylor Metals. It adds some subtle contrast in texture and finish.

"The most challenging aspect of the project was the client’s directive to 'design an art gallery we can live in,'" says architect Jeff Dolezal of local firm Tack Architects. Though the house is quite large—over 10,000 square feet—it was constructed with green design principals in mind. It features low-VOC paints and interior finishes, locally sourced materials, blown in soy-based spray foam exterior insulation, skylights and solatubes for natural daylighting, and FSC certified lumber, and LED light fixtures. The exterior is clad in zinc and cedar.

The house is in a traditional area with strict building restrictions. "With adjacent houses close to the property line on the east and west sides, the backyard to the north, and narrow side of the lot facing south, the sunny part of the lot was at its center so that is where we put the outdoor spaces," Balaban says. In lieu of a lawn, permeable pavers add a practical and green element to the landscaping.

SYA used standing-seam metal for the rear cladding of the addition, a common local roofing material. Photo: Michael Moran.

Alex devised a system that takes advantage of ocean views while protecting the cottage from that same northeasterly orientation. The large windows and doors can be shuttered with corrugated aluminum panels.

At the lower left, polycarbonate panels glow under the cantilevered, vertically-seamed sheet-metal facade. Photo credit: Dale Christopher Lang PhD AIAP

A private terrace overlooks an alleyway on the main floor’s southeastern end. “[The home’s] outdoor spaces are all to varying degrees extensions of interior space,” Schaer says.

The horizontal orientation of the cement board, painted black, creates a line of vision that leads to the forest, while its deep overhangs help shield the sun. A small lawn, gravel, and native grass weave the wooded setting in the residence’s landscape design.

In Boulder's aptly named Wonderland Hill neighborhood, deer and even mountain lions occasionally come down from the woods to scout the domestic scene, but the most common wildlife sighting on the tree-lined streets is a profusion of toddlers in off-road strollers. To make space for the local baby boom, many older one-story homes have had their pops topped. When Rob Pyatt and Heather Kahn were ready to expand on their 900 square feet, however, their foundation couldn't support a second floor, so Pyatt, an architecture student with a green building background, devised an alternative. His box-shaped addition is the modern kid on the block, with distinctive corrugated-metal and wide-plank cladding. Behind the facade, uncommon materials share a common story with the neighborhood: Of design decisions driven by a desire to keep the next generation—and the planet—healthy and safe.

The house has a small environmental footprint. SHED built it using advanced framing, a technique that cuts down on the use of lumber by 30 percent. Another benefit of the method is that it prevents heat from escaping the home, making it more energy-efficient. Additionally, the architects installed a high-efficiency boiler that preheats water with rooftop solar panels; a heat recovery ventilation system that efficiently controls the climate; and a rainwater retention tank that conserves water.