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Project posted by derek hoeferlin design

Weathering St(ee)L House

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Joe Pentland in his workshop space image credit: Samuel Fentress
Joe Pentland in his workshop space image credit: Samuel Fentress
The form and program of the building respond to the catty-cornered building’s historic rectangular type and programming of storefronts and residential. At the time of this photograph, the existing building to the right was just beginning renovations, and as of July 2022, almost complete with new glass storefronts and renovated housing above. image credit: Samuel Fentress
The form and program of the building respond to the catty-cornered building’s historic rectangular type and programming of storefronts and residential. At the time of this photograph, the existing building to the right was just beginning renovations, and as of July 2022, almost complete with new glass storefronts and renovated housing above. image credit: Samuel Fentress
The shorter elevation matches the sizes of, and aligns with, the neighboring historic row housing, with a concrete foundation apron referencing the nearby limestone foundations. A large chunk of salvaged concrete, unearthed during site excavation, has been re-purposed as a public stoop. To accentuate the rectangular form, the roof slightly slopes behind a three-sided parapet, pitched towards the side-lot portion of the double-wide lot, with a 3-foot overhang. A bold, blue sliding door provides side-yard access to the more utilitarian, private side of the project. image credit: Samuel Fentress
The shorter elevation matches the sizes of, and aligns with, the neighboring historic row housing, with a concrete foundation apron referencing the nearby limestone foundations. A large chunk of salvaged concrete, unearthed during site excavation, has been re-purposed as a public stoop. To accentuate the rectangular form, the roof slightly slopes behind a three-sided parapet, pitched towards the side-lot portion of the double-wide lot, with a 3-foot overhang. A bold, blue sliding door provides side-yard access to the more utilitarian, private side of the project. image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
The gallery space features Pentlands’s large-scale kinetic sculptures, set on wood flooring economically salvaged from 18-wheeler tractor-trailers. Passersby can activate the sculptures with a button attached to the outside façade. image credit: Samuel Fentress
The gallery space features Pentlands’s large-scale kinetic sculptures, set on wood flooring economically salvaged from 18-wheeler tractor-trailers. Passersby can activate the sculptures with a button attached to the outside façade. image credit: Samuel Fentress
Pre-fabricated steel structural bays, erected over the course of a few days, were customized with squared-off edges, in lieu of the typical tapered edges. image credit: Samuel Fentress
Pre-fabricated steel structural bays, erected over the course of a few days, were customized with squared-off edges, in lieu of the typical tapered edges. image credit: Samuel Fentress
Pre-fabricated structural bays installation image credit: Derek Hoeferlin
Pre-fabricated structural bays installation image credit: Derek Hoeferlin
The northwest facing 50-foot horizontal window can be partially or completely closed with custom translucent sliding panels, depending on desired natural light conditions for work needs. image credit: Samuel Fentress
The northwest facing 50-foot horizontal window can be partially or completely closed with custom translucent sliding panels, depending on desired natural light conditions for work needs. image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
A wide wood stair leads to the living spaces above, intentionally mitigated from the workspaces below. Re-furbished deco-styled pendants attach to an analogue pully system, with each able to be adjusted in height as needed. Ceiling mounted LED fixtures add additional high-powered lighting needs for precision-based work. image credit: Samuel Fentress
A wide wood stair leads to the living spaces above, intentionally mitigated from the workspaces below. Re-furbished deco-styled pendants attach to an analogue pully system, with each able to be adjusted in height as needed. Ceiling mounted LED fixtures add additional high-powered lighting needs for precision-based work. image credit: Samuel Fentress
Compressed in scale and softened with a more domesticated bright color palette, the living spaces include linoleum flooring, as well as custom-built mobile furniture and sliding privacy panels constructed out of the same durable phenolic paneling that the client utilizes for their sculptures. image credit: Samuel Fentress
Compressed in scale and softened with a more domesticated bright color palette, the living spaces include linoleum flooring, as well as custom-built mobile furniture and sliding privacy panels constructed out of the same durable phenolic paneling that the client utilizes for their sculptures. image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
The northwest-facing longer elevation prioritizes larger oxidizing steel surfaces over apertures, allowing for plenty of interior vertical surfaces for the client to test out their sculptures. Since the client built the house themself, it took about four years to construct -- not your typical residential project timeframe. However, this allowed for a patient tracking of the progress of both the construction process and the weathering of the steel, which continues to strengthen with oxidization and furthermore is experienced differently throughout the seasons and varying lighting conditions. image credit: Samuel Fentress
The northwest-facing longer elevation prioritizes larger oxidizing steel surfaces over apertures, allowing for plenty of interior vertical surfaces for the client to test out their sculptures. Since the client built the house themself, it took about four years to construct -- not your typical residential project timeframe. However, this allowed for a patient tracking of the progress of both the construction process and the weathering of the steel, which continues to strengthen with oxidization and furthermore is experienced differently throughout the seasons and varying lighting conditions. image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
image credit: Samuel Fentress
Different weathering patterns for the interlocking oxidizing panels were deployed, such as “book-matching” them prior to installation to allow water to seep between, creating unforeseen ink-blot patterns. Additional experimental and messy “water-patterning” was encouraged, such as allowing sweat residue to leave randomized traces on the panels, embedding the client’s “sweat-equity” labor into the materiality. image credit: Derek Hoeferlin
Different weathering patterns for the interlocking oxidizing panels were deployed, such as “book-matching” them prior to installation to allow water to seep between, creating unforeseen ink-blot patterns. Additional experimental and messy “water-patterning” was encouraged, such as allowing sweat residue to leave randomized traces on the panels, embedding the client’s “sweat-equity” labor into the materiality. image credit: Derek Hoeferlin
image credit: Derek Hoeferlin
image credit: Derek Hoeferlin
A custom-built, 12.5 foot-tall door with asymmetrical leaves, built from the tractor-trailer flooring, invites public entry to the gallery. Additionally, a series of stacked 9 foot-tall windows double as nighttime lanterns for the client’s gallery display space in the front portion of the structure. The oxidizing steel is a contextual, yet contemporary and bold counterpoint to the adjacent, historic brick tones. image credit: Samuel Fentress
A custom-built, 12.5 foot-tall door with asymmetrical leaves, built from the tractor-trailer flooring, invites public entry to the gallery. Additionally, a series of stacked 9 foot-tall windows double as nighttime lanterns for the client’s gallery display space in the front portion of the structure. The oxidizing steel is a contextual, yet contemporary and bold counterpoint to the adjacent, historic brick tones. image credit: Samuel Fentress

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Credits

From derek hoeferlin design

The Weathering St(ee)L House, designed by [dhd] derek hoeferlin design, is a live-work studio in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood (nicknamed "The Grove") in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, completed in 2021. The client/owner/builder is Joe Pentland, an artist/electrical engineer who designs, programs and builds kinetic sculptures that are pattern-based in concept and built this project himself. With the majority of the "home" devoted to workshop, fabrication and gallery space for his sculptures, the 4,300 square foot, 100x30-foot long rectangular form relates to the surrounding historic late-19th and early-20th century St. Louis architectural context. The material choice of oxidizing steel is a bold, contemporary counterpoint to similar adjacent brick tones. The short elevation respects and aligns with the front faces of the neighboring row housing. The longer elevation, similar to other buildings along this stretch, holds the edge of the site boundary next to the sidewalk. The more private side-lot of the project is utilitarian in experience and scope, utilizing the double-wide lot for outdoor work and leisure. The interior amplifies the exposed large-scale steel structure with a jet-black, gallery-white and galvanized-silver color palette, providing generous double-height work spaces for the client to build and test out his kinetic designs on polished concrete floors. The sculptures are displayed in a copiously daylit-washed front gallery space, set on wood floors economically salvaged from unused 18-wheeler tractor-trailer beds. The more private, second floor living spaces contrast the rest of the project with a more domestic concept that is compressed in scale with a colorful material palette.

The systems of this project are utilitarian, efficient and straightforward. The structure is a concrete foundation with a series of four, 25 feet x 30 feet pre-fabricated steel structural bays clad in a rainscreen system comprised of 18-inch wide interlocking oxidizing steel panels over 3 inches of rigid insulation and metal framing. The mechanical system is a combination of forced air and split units and is extremely efficient due to extra rigid insulation on the walls and a composite roof system of 6-inch thick Structurally Insulated Panels with white standing seams over spandrel beams that span between the structural bays.

The project was awarded a 2021 AIA St. Louis Merit Award and 2022 Design STL "Best New Build" Award and published in St. Louis Magazine.