Jennifer Bonner, architectural designer and director of MALL, has completed Haus Gables, a new ground-up residential project that was built almost entirely out of cross-laminated timber (CLT), an exceptionally strong wood material made from glued layers of solid-sawn lumber. Located in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, the 2,200-square-foot, two-story home is one of only a few residences constructed from cross-laminated timber in the United States.
Named after its cluster of six steep gable roofs that form a singular roofline, Haus Gables delineates its interior spaces according to the ridges and valleys of the roofline, creating what the press release said is a floorplan resulting from the roof. “The underbelly of the gable roofs creates an airy, lofty space filled with ample natural light in what is actually a small building footprint,” noted Bonner. The single-family house has an “uncharacteristically slim” width of 18 feet on the 24-foot-wide plot.
The residence’s exterior and interior walls as well as the floors and roof were built of solid, custom-cut CLT panels that were hoisted into place and assembled in just 14 days. Although it has been presented as an alternative to traditional stick frame construction, the home lifts inspiration from the American South vernacular with its playfully colorful faux-finishes that clad the exterior and parts of the interior. For instance, faux bricks made of shimmering stucco dash cover two sides of the facade, while black terrazzo is applied as a thin tile indoors.
Related: Tham & Videgård Arkitekter designs Swedish “vertical village” built from CLT
Bonner dressed the interiors with furnishings by female designers, including the likes of Ray Eames, Jessica Nakanishi of M-S-D-S Studio, Stine Gam of GamFratesi Studio, Anna Castelli Ferrieri for Kartell and more. The modern furnishings pop against the “color blocking” style applied throughout, which creates areas of gray concrete, yellow vinyl marble and black terrazzo.
Photography by naaro via Jennifer Bonner
