In autumn 2015, the works that led to the birth of Copperwood started: it is a residence located in Indiana, with an energy-efficient modern look, elegantly cladded with wood.
The building's name - inspired by the color of the woods and the 20 acres of the surrounding land - describes the sustainable nature of the architectural project, curated by the HAUS team, a design studio based in Indianapolis, which chose the thermally modified American ash for the external walls and the bedroom and the stairs of the inside.
HAUS wanted to design spaces with a primary east-west orientation to achieve the highest light with the passive sun, but the corner ducts did not make it possible. The ducts has become one of the main elements of the design concept, turning into a misaligned series of bars that form the wings of bedroom, day , living area and garage, each perpendicular to create a Z layout.
Each component moves with the corner maintaining the desired solar orientation and the orthogonal structure, so to perfectly use it for the desired panoramas and the access to the house.
The material
The client wanted to let wood its natural color course (especially for the outdoors), in order to physiologically dye it into a darker gray. Systems of rain-protection and clip/sealing were implemented in the wall to make water flow from the wall cavity, so to ensure the technical performance.
“The external use of thermally modified American broad-leaf woods is constantly growing year by year, not only in Europe but worldwide, in the United State too, as this project demonstrates. The thermal modification (TMT) transforms the non-durable broad-leaf woods, like ash and tulipwood, into durable materials that do not deteriorate or damage in the outdoors – Venables, European Director of AHEC (American Hardwood Export Council), explained. The architects can use a sustainable wood, without finishes, which ages in a good way and offers greater stability during the use”.
