People tend to be pretty enchanted with Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous house. Built on top of a waterfall, it has the highly unusual pleasure of straddling a waterway, making the sound of the flowing water a major highlight. It’s easy to see the appeal — and also easy to see why houses like this are so rare.

The home is true to its name, with a simple form stretching from one bank of the narrow trickling stream to the next. Sleek and modernist, it has no unnecessary frills or complicated floor plans. Serving as Brunn’s full-time residence, the 4,500-square-foot home has a rectangular shape, measuring 20 feet wide by 210 feet long, stretching from the front of the building site to the back instead of side to side like a more conventional residence. “The idea is to do something extraordinary with ordinary means,” says Brunn.
That wasn’t his first idea, though. When he bought the property, he intended to renovate the existing home, but problems with the foundation soon emerged, so he decided to go in a dramatically different direction instead. Determined to build to zero net energy (ZNE) standards and make full use of passive solar orientation and the beautiful views, the architect saw the bridge plan as a way to have a lower impact on the site.

Making extensive use of carefully placed glass, Bridge House gets sunlight streaming in from optimal angles all day long and focuses views on the trees and water outside rat...