HUUS by In Situ Studio in Raleigh, North Carolina

Project: HUUS
Architects: In Situ Studio
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Area: 4,233 sq ft
Photography: Keith Isaacs

HUUS by In Situ Studio

HUUS is an impressive modern home designed for a Swiss couple in Raleigh, North Carolina. The landscape design immediately draws attention, followed by the building with an elegant appearance crafted from various materials. The house was designed by In Situ Studio — a studio whose projects Stoneridge House and Ocotea House in North Carolina have already been featured on our site, so be sure to check them out.

HUUS was designed for a Swiss couple, one of whom is an eccentric electrical engineer and the other a German teacher who has lived in Raleigh for thirty years. Their children are already grown and live far away. The program includes a guest wing on the first level to accommodate long trips they and other distant families regularly take. The house is located between smaller homes. To eliminate this disproportionate scale, the supporting program, including a garage, is underground. The first level has a shortened 'T' form to further reduce the perceived scale. The upper portion of the building recedes from the street.

Clients wanted both privacy from the street and extensive connection with the landscape. The front of the house is ornate but mostly solid. The back is fully open to a reflecting pool and garden. The guest wing on the main level can be accessed directly from the entrance door, while a large sliding panel can separate it from the rest of the house.

Spaces on the upper level are limited to the main bedroom and office. Our clients use a large sliding entrance into the landscape, while a large terraced garden occupies the roof of the living room, accessible through a corridor on the upper level.

The basement contains a three-car garage, large workshop, storage, utility rooms and space for wine and fitness, enclosed by concrete walls. The main level is brick and glass, with brick used indoors in several places. The upper level is clad in charred Atlantic white cedar and protects the open public areas on the main level.

The structure is primarily wooden, with steel used where large spans and openings are needed. Windows from Germany, triple-glazed with R-7 thermal conductivity. The landscape is filled with native grasses and other plants, while the reflecting pool is natural, supporting fish, frogs and algae.

–In Situ Studio