BETWEEN A ROCK AND A SPA PLACE
Unique steel-clad home features a one-ton boulder as bathroom art
A boulder in the bathroom is just one highlight of an offbeat, contemporary home in Missouri,
Deep in the heart of Missouri, there’s a sprawling home inspired by the materials used in its owner’s family business, and named for the weigh scales manufactured there.
This house is rightfully called Heavy Metal.
And unlike any other house in the world, at its heart sits a rock weighing more than a ton — simultaneously startling and amazing for its size andposition in the master bathroom.
The 7,000-square-foot home is a steel-clad residence sitting on eight acres of heavily wooded land in Joplin, Mo. Inside the house, hot-rolled steel is blackened and shows off its natural grain.
That, combined with concrete floors, provides a cool, sleek, modern esthetic. Heavily textured rugs break up the large floor expanses and walnut walls and ceilings lend warmth.
The exterior of Heavy Metal is created from exposed, custom-perforated steel panels that have been allowed to rust to bring out the warm red of the iron oxide within.
There are more than 200 of these panels, each with a unique set of perforations based on calculations determining where the most privacy and sun exposure are needed. They create an outward-shining glow at night.
Heavy Metal follows an inverted L-shape, with the master bedroom and ensuite — and, of course, the rock — at one end, along with an office/library and photography studio. The open-concept living room, dining room and kitchen are at the other end of the residence. Three guest rooms with ensuites and a hallway create a gallery showcasing the owners’ artwork.
Heavy Metal took two years to design and build and was completed in 2010. Matthew Hufft, principal at Hufft architecture firm in Kansas City, Mo., answers a few questions about Heavy Metal: Can you explain the home’s inspiration? The owner asked us to be inspired by his family business. That business is manufacturing scales for weighing objects and people … (the scales are) mostly made of sheet metal.
So, we knew that was the right choice for the facade. Next, we worked with his team to figure out how to laser-cut and fabricate each panel, adding another layer of the family business to the house’s concept. What kind of a feeling do the building materials create? I think they feel very natural and at peace in its natural wooded surrounding. There’s a very calm and quiet presence about the building. With all the dark colours, how do you create warmth? The warmth comes from the natural materials: wood, concrete and weathering steel, but also from the plethora of daylight that streams indirectly into each space. The boulder in the bathroom — whose idea was that? We talked about a rock garden a lot during the process. When discussing the idea of a shower bench, it just seemed appropriate. We had to crane it into the space from the skylight above. The owner is really into landscape, and selected it from a specialty supplier.
Because of craning it into the space from the skylight above, it was quite a moment during construction!
All the necessary trades and subs were there, plus some others to witness the process.
Of course, we had to determine the best orientation for the placement.
Adjusting an object weighing over a ton, you want to get that right. We feel we did. Can you explain how the perforated panels are used? We wrote a code that determines perforation based on privacy and exposure to the sun. This created a circular perforation that was applied to each panel. What challenges were there in building this house? Not many, actually. The homeowner was very involved, so at times things changed organically, but it all went well.