CAROLINA HOME+GARDEN Features TAB Associates – Bark House

Luxury Home Captures Every View & Grounds New Construction To Place In Environmentally Friendly Package

 

Project Name:                      TAB Associates, Bonidy Residence
Location:                               Hendersonville, NC
Project Vision:
“I designed our home to show the people of North Carolina what [my firm] is capable of doing.”  Tab Bonidy

Architect:                              TAB Associates Inc
Builder:                                  Black Hawk Construction
Product Name:                      Bark House® Poplar Shingles and Tiles

The architects at TAB Associates believe it is their duty “to design for our clients and not for ourselves.” When the client happens to be architect and company president Tab Bonidy himself, the results are groundbreaking.

The Bonidy residence is a feat of thoughtful design that uses sustainable building materials and energy sources to celebrate unparalleled views of the surrounding Smoky Mountains. Built atop 18 sprawling acres, the home is encased in tree bark and designed with a distinctly passive footprint that encourages natural ventilation and emphasis on the surrounding nature.

Environmental Impact Highlights

With views of high mountain peaks, this home is inextricably connected to the rocks, trees and flowing water of the surrounding landscape. This hidden jewel of a community strikes a delicate balance between rising from the forests for views of the surrounding pristine slopes while remaining nestled in the mountain range to feel like a private retreat.

In a mountain retreat, reducing environmental impact through sustainable architecture matters. Bonidy says, “The home is passive solar with tile on concrete floors in the main living area as thermal mass. … Due to the home’s passive nature and inclusion of solar electric panels, the home is very sustainable.”

Though the home is cooled with A/C, Bonidy ensured that natural ventilation would suffice through the mountains’ shoulder seasons. The patio space, fitted with a kitchen, also offers electric roll down screens to evolve into a truly indoor-outdoor space, depending on weather conditions.

In addition to the sustainably designed blueprint and fixtures, Bonidy says, “All of the glass of the Great Room absorbs the views of the surrounding Smoky Mountains.”

In the end, the residence is a luxurious mountain retreat that celebrates rather than disrupts the environment around it.

Embracing Bark Siding

Driving up to the Bonidy residence, it would be impossible to miss the incorporation of natural bark siding. To the right, the bark-shingled garage rises as a pillar of light and tree bark. To the left, the residence, also finished with poplar bark siding, quietly beckons visitors with an entrance adorned with a striking balance of metal and wood building materials.

Of the exterior poplar bark shingles, Bonidy says, “We used this product for the first time in Highlands, NC, on a 24,000 sf. estate home in 2003. There were many homes in Highlands with it. I liked the look and durability so well I decided to use it on my own home.”

From CAROLINA HOME+GARDEN MAGAZINE:  “Bark is a natural material, it lasts forever, and you don’t have to do anything to it.” …Tab Bonidy says he loves not only the look but the durability.  More than that, the material is celebrated in elite corners.  Sourced from the 30-year-old company Bark House is Spruce Pine, it received the first platinum certification by global sustainability nonprofit Cradle to Cradle Productions….Poplar bark, once considered a waste product of logging, is 100% sourced and manufactured in Appalachia.  It boasts a zero-water production process and actually holds more carbon in the built-environment [than the manufacturing process produces]…. Google uses Bark House products in its offices, and stiletto-heels mogul Christian Louboutin chose the material for the exterior of his flagship store in Miami’s Design District.

Employed on a small scale, bark is charming and gnomelike.  But combined with steel and glass, and broadcast high and wide, it forms the cutting edge of organic-minded modern.

Using Bark Siding to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Building

While TAB Associates emphasizes the rugged durability and distinct aesthetics of bark siding, there are even more environmental benefits to using it in building or interior design projects.

Here are several ways to reduce the environmental impact of a structure by incorporating bark siding:

• Bark siding reduces noise pollution in urban areas because of its high insulation value. Conversely, bark products produce high-quality acoustics in interior spaces, from concert halls to residential entertainment rooms.
• Bark siding is harvested from reclaimed waste produced by the logging industry. Because of this, Bark House bark siding is fully carbon-neutral, a paragon of sustainable building materials.
• Stemming directly from the variegated beauty of the forest, bark siding is available to match a diverse array of aesthetic preferences. Consider Bark House Poplar Siding, available as:
  • Exterior standard-grade siding that is richly textured and able to blend with surrounding hillsides and forests
  • Thick premium-grade exterior siding options with a pronounced shadow line and deep etchings to highlight the raw, rugged texture of poplar trees
  • Interior-grade bark siding to usher nature indoors in a remarkable, tactile way

Learn more about luxury wood shingles and siding can adorn or protect your next luxury project.