Welcome to our gallery featuring the brilliant Edgeland House, a nature-focused project designed by Bercy Chen Studio.

Edgeland House is located on a rehabilitated brownfield site and is a modern re‐interpretation of one of the oldest housing typologies in North America, the Native American Pit House.

The Pit House, typically sunken, takes advantage of the surrounding earth to maintain consistent thermal comfort throughout the year. Like this timeless dwelling archetype, the house features an insulative green roof and 7‐foot excavation into the ground, which combine to keep the interior cool in the summer and warm in the winter. A mechanical system accompanies the construction, combining hydronic heating and a green roof for maximum energy efficiency.

The aim with this project was all about healing the land and ameliorating the scars of the site’s industrial past. The project is designed to raise awareness about the diminishing natural landscape and its finite resources by creating a balance between the surrounding industrial zone and the natural river residing on the opposite side of the site.

Both visually and functionally, Edgeland touches on architecture as site‐specific installation art, and as an extension of the landscape itself. The structure is broken up into two separate pavilions, living and sleeping quarters, requiring direct contact with the outdoors to pass from one to the other.

This project sets a high bar for sustainability while providing aesthetic value through its small footprint and integrated mechanical features.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center collaborated to reintroduce over 40 native species of plants and wildflowers to the Edgeland House green roof and surrounding site, serving to help protect and reinvigorate the local ecosystem.

We hope you enjoy this incredible, eco friendly and impeccably designed project by Bercy Chen Studio.

Seen while approaching, the twin structures are nearly invisible, merging completely with the landscape. The divide between halves is matched in sets of full height glass.

Moving in closer, we see the glass canyon created between the halves of the structure. The open space encourages outdoor movement between the living and sleeping quarters.

A simple patio setup consisting of a trio of spherical wicker chairs stands next to the triangular pool marking the edge of the structure. Roof overhangs provide shade and privacy, controlling temperature.

The interior features a wide open-concept design, integrating kitchen, living, and dining room spaces under the sloped roof. Ultra-modern style informs the sleek island, seating, and furniture throughout.

At dusk, we see the pool extending from the structural lines of the home, coming to a point with an infinity edge. From this angle, we see how deeply the structure is embedded into the earth.

At dusk, the interior lights glow over the bookended patio space. The green roof can be seen in silhouette, growing thick over the structure.

The dual structures create a virtual canyon, insulated from the outer world yet enmeshed within it. We see the private, bedroom side of the home at right, while the living space at left remains more open.