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vertical windows - As soon as you arrive on the second floor plan by the stairs, there is the space of a small home office.

Josh and Natalie Pritchard’s residence in the woods of New Gloucester, Maine, consists of two parallel gable structures connected by a breezeway. The taller building is the home, and the shorter is a two-car garage with an in-law apartment. The Pritchard children call the wetlands behind the house “fairy land.”

The furniture throughout the summer home is custom made to perfectly fit the compact interior. “Because the space is so small, you have to think of it as like a sailing boat and it has to be as smart as possible,” says architect Line Solgaard. “If we bought furniture it would be too big or take focus away from the architecture. The furniture we designed is integrated into the building.”

“Framed in exposed steel with expansive windows, the Wallingford Passive Solar House capitalizes on exterior views and shifting patterns of light to establish a dialogue with its surroundings, leading to a physical awareness of the sun’s movement throughout the day and the seasons,’ says Wyant Architecture.

This uber-green dwelling not only walks the walk, it talks the talk.

Traditional materials, such as corrugated metal, were given new life with contemporary detailing.

view from the west at dusk

The house draws its name, “Pleats,” from the corrugated metal that wraps the gabled volume, reminiscent of the pleated exterior of the Saguaro cactus.

“Durability drove the selection of metal panels,” Schaer says of the home’s industrial exterior. Manufactured by AEP SPAN from corrugated cladding, it looks like zinc but costs significantly less. It also contrasts nicely with the natural siding and trim. “All of the wood inside and out is Douglas Fir, the predominant wood species in the northwest,” Schaer explains.

The 3,767-square-foot residence is comprised of two rural-style pavilions that are connected and clad in Blackbutt eucalyptus timber.

The light-filled kitchen is fitted out with glass fiber-reinforced concrete counters, quartern-sawn eucalyptus cabinets, as well as Sub-Zero, Wolf and Miele appliances.

Situated at the back of the living area, the kitchen is separated by a large central island. The backsplash of glass tile by Fireclay offers a contrast to the wood cabinetry and black granite.