Olson Kundig

Glass Farmhouse

Glass Farmhouse
© Tim Bies

GLASS FARMHOUSE

Olson Kundig

ARCHITECTS
Olson Kundig

AREA
1440.0 m²

PHOTOGRAPHS
Tim Bies, John Clark

MANUFACTURERS
B-K Lighting, Signify, Quantum Windows & Doors

CATEGORY
Industrial Architecture, Houses

LOCATIONN
United States

YEAR
2008

Text description provided by architect.

Surrounded by wheat fields on a high-altitude plateau stand a small glass house and a solid, traditional barn.

Glass Farmhouse
© Tim Bies
Glass Farmhouse
© John Clark

The owners, inspired by Philip Johnson’s Glass House, wanted a refuge that opens up to the prairie and mountains.

The structures are conveniently close to each other and enjoy a sense of isolation at the end of a long country road.

Glass Farmhouse
© John Clark
Glass Farmhouse
© Tim Bies
Glass Farmhouse
© John Clark

The roof of the wood-frame barn, which houses farm equipment below and guest rooms above, was inspired by the local vernacular and is echoed in the shed roof of the glass house.

Three sides of the house consist of high-efficiency glass framed with steel; on the north is a solid exterior wall.

Glass Farmhouse
© John Clark
Glass Farmhouse
© Tim Bies

Inside the transparent shell, living, eating, and sleeping areas surround an enclosure that contains the bathroom, study, and storage.

The house rests on a concrete slab supported on a concrete foundation. In this way, the heat-absorbing and—releasing thermal mass is isolated from the ground plane.

Glass Farmhouse
© Tim Bies
Glass Farmhouse
© Tim Bies

The window system combines transparency with energy-efficiency. Heat loss and gain is managed largely by the orientation of the house: on the south side, an eyebrow, or light shelf, deflects midday summer sun but admits low-angle winter sunlight.


Glass Farmhouse
West Section
Glass Farmhouse
Section


Glass Farmhouse
North Elevation
Glass Farmhouse
South Elevation
Glass Farmhouse
Ground Floor Plan

Olson Kundig
T +1 206 6245670 F +1 206 6243730
Olson Kundig
159 S Jackson St # 600, Seattle, WA 98104, United States