Heavy Metal

Heavy Metal is a single-storey residence designed by Hufft Projects on an eight-acre wooded site in Joplin, Missouri. The client, owner of a steel manufacturing facility with an artistic background, wanted the home to reflect both his business and personal interests. The house was conceived as a gallery-like sequence of spaces, enabling easy movement between living areas, office, and studio, all while retaining strong visual connections to the surrounding landscape. The tightly organized plan establishes the courtyard as a transitional zone, defined as much by native vegetation and landscaping as by built form, referencing the Miesian courtyard house in a rural context. The building’s exterior is predominantly steel-clad, with the photo studio distinguished by pre-cast concrete and the main entry marked by a large pivoting door. Perforated metal screens shade the great room, diffusing daylight and allowing filtered views outdoors. Inside, finishes include blackened steel, concrete countertops, and unfinished wood, while prominent elements such as a koi pond and river-rock band line the gallery corridor. Clerestory glazing, skylights, and sliding glass doors admit generous daylight and foster a connection to the site. In the evenings, the perforated façade and water features are illuminated, emphasizing the home's interplay between materiality and its natural surroundings.

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