US studio Boyd Architects has wrapped a house in standing seam metal and pine boards and articulated each form with a vernacular hip roof in Summerville, South Carolina.

Based in Charleston, Boyd Architects completed the 3,611-square foot (335-square metre) Summerville House in 2023, as a "process of form-making".

"This inspiration for the project was the hipped roofs of the Lowcountry, which are both familiar and abundant in this area," the studio told Dezeen.

"The silhouette created by the asymmetrical roofs in this project animate the otherwise unremarkable street."

Located in the town's historic district, the sculptural design stands out in its neighbourhood, while still being a "good neighbour" with a modest scale and restrained material palette.

Centred internally on a rectangular pool with an integrated hot tub, the massing of the house is composed of three single-storey buildings that are viewed as four volumes.

The main L-shaped house measures 2,400 square feet (223 square metres) and is split into two roof forms. Balancing the opposite edge of the property are a 900-square foot (84-square metre) garage and lounge and a 350-square foot (33-square metre) square pool house.

"The scale of both the volumes and the space between them create an appropriate level of intimacy within this courtyard that allows it to feel like an extension of the interior spaces," the team said, noting that the majority of the interior spaces look out to the courtyard.

On the main house, one roof form runs parallel to the street, rising over the public zones of the living, kitchen and dining areas with high vaulted ceilings. A linear entry porch is also tucked under this form.

Turning perpendicular to the street, the private areas are aligned along a glazed corridor with the primary suite in the front of the house and media and lounge spaces filling in the voids.

A large central covered porch holds the centre of the plan, expanding the living area through a "zero-threshold 3-panel sliding glass door that effectively eliminates the boundary between interior and exterior space."

"The interior palette is intentionally simple and rather conventional," the team said. "This was both a function of cost and a desire to let the shape of the vaulted ceilings be the main attraction."

Contrasting the white interior, the exterior is clad in dark-coloured standing seam metal panels, selected for their low maintenance and ability to be used as both walls and roofs. The roofs have no overhang.

Meanwhile, the porch walls and soffits are wrapped with warm-toned stained pine siding that "plugs in" to highlight where the residents interact with the building. The wood species was selected to nod to Summerville's moniker – "Flower Town in the Pines."

Large glazing is reserved for the internal courtyard facades, keeping the street-facing elevations opaque and private.

"This dynamic establishes the dual personalities of the residence: The interior character is one of transparency and daylight, while the exterior persona is defined by the sculptural silhouettes of the volumes."

Other projects recently completed in South Carolina include the lifted International African American Museum in Charleston by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Moody Nolan and the Greenville County Administration building with a winged roof and skybridge in Greenville by Foster + Partners.

The photography is by Reagen Taylor Photography.

Project credits:

Architect: Boyd Architects
Landscape architect: Remark Studio
Structural engineer: K.M. Powell Engineering
General contractor: C.B. Elrod Co