One of my favorite board games from childhood was “Clue” which started my lifelong love of mysteries and architecture. I was fascinated by the board layout-the rooms had no ceilings and the walls were in perspective below the surface of the board. My favorite room was the corner conservatory with its two exterior walls of glass. On one wall were three French doors and on the other wall were windows with exotic plants below. Growing up in a brick rancher with standard windows, having two walls of glass seemed like heaven to me.
During my first year of architecture school, I loved my architecture history class and being introduced to famous structures of glass. The Crystal Palace was built in London for the Great Exhibition of 1851 and its ceiling soared to 128 ft. with cast iron framing infilled with modules of plate glass. The core of Architect Joseph Paxton’s inspired design was a module of glass sized to maximum dimensions possible at that time, 10” x 49”, which combined to create the greatest area of glass ever seen before in a building.
Another glass building that intrigued me was the exquisite Great Palm House Conservatory at Vienna’s Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs. The Court Architect Franz von Sengenschmid turned the exterior structural wall inside out by exposing the steel structural framing between infills of glass. The curvilinear steel “columns” with flared ends above the stone wall and horizontal steel beams created a graceful sense of enclosure, topped with a clerestory four windows wide on each side with another curved wall/ceiling capped with a cupola. When I saw this building the summer I graduated from architectural school, I was mesmerized.
Throughout the 19th century and up until WW II, conservatories proliferated throughout the United Kingdom, especially England, in response to the English passion for gardening and technological advances in thermal control and glass. In the 1970’s, with the advent of insulated glass units, architects rediscovered the charm of conservatories scaled for residences inspired by the English 19th century styles.
When I moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004, I was delighted to learn that a company has been busy in Denton since 1997 designing and installing conservatories, greenhouses, swimming pool enclosures, steel structures, domes, lanterns, cupolas and skylights. Tanglewood Conservatories is unique in their field since their process is a continuous flow of single source quality control from design, fabrication and on-site installation. Their production facility is sited on almost 4 acres and the production team consists of highly skilled craftspersons who specialize in architectural design, hand drawing and CAD, woodworking and metal fabrication, CNC operation, construction and installation. Building elements are pre-fabricated at the production facility, shipped to each site and installed by Tanglewood Conservatories’ skilled craftspersons.
Tanglewood Conservatories often works directly with homeowners for an addition and also partner with other architects and designers to bring this century-old tradition to homes and commercial buildings around the world. Tanglewood Conservatories is equally adept at traditional and modern design. After savoring their beautiful portfolio of built projects, I could easily rhapsodize each one of them but two caught my eye for their unique design and technological features.
Project Team: Tanglewood Conservatories Design Team, HFR DesignOne project was a traditional grand entertaining space whose program included a swimming pool enclosure. The clients asked for an addition to their Georgian styled residence and envisioned a light filled restful retreat. Tanglewood Conservatories collaborated with HFR Design, the architects for their residence and created an addition that contrasted with the formal main house, in keeping with the trend in conservatory designs of 19th century England which the clients greatly admired. Their specific program of a fireplace focal point, sitting areas amongst the plants, pool and spa evolved into a floor plan in a truncated “Y” shape to create three equal facades with individual outlooks to the formal herb garden, the lake and outdoor pool. Superimposed over this geometry is a stunning roof consisting of exposed steel structure and cast-iron columns softened by the warmth of the undulating double-curved glass framed in mahogany. Decorative details include tall finials and cresting along the roof ridges. A truly unexpected technological detail is demonstrated by pressing a button- the floor drops hydraulically to become the bottom of the pool/spa in the center of the room!
Project Team: Tanglewood Conservatories Design Team, Clites Architects, Fritz & Gignoux Landscape Architects, Horizon Builders.
A Tanglewood Conservatories sunroom addition to a Modernist suburban house is set into a crisp manicured landscape with a serene reflecting pool created by Fritz & Gignoux Landscape Architects. The client asked for a large starburst design in the sunroom’s roof that would flood the space with daylight and moonlight. The design began as a six-pointed starburst with an irregular edge of four long points and two short points that quickly evolved into an extremely complex three dimensional skylight with undulating panes of glass. The technological challenge to solve was how to maintain the airy feeling of glass using minimal steel framing in keeping with the minimalist Modernism of the main house. Tanglewood Conservatories solution was ingenious-they simply eliminated the steel framing members at the joints of the glass infill panels.
To accomplish this, they incorporated an inner decorative steel “armature” to support the sunburst star shape that allowed the glass panel joints to be suspended free of the steel structure. The result is a stunning gem that sparkles like a 14 carat diamond and the effect at night is extraordinary. To further embrace the landscape, the three sides of the sunroom are enclosed by Tanglewood Conservatories’ design and fabrication of sliding glass doors in minimalist frames that glide in two directions on each wall to fuse the indoors with the outdoors beyond the reflecting pool.
In addition to being the leader in their field of conservatory design, the founders of Tanglewood Conservatories, Alan Stein and Nancy Virts, are firmly committed to providing opportunities for our area’s youth. In 2017, they established the non-profit Untangled Minds Foundation and developed the AMP program to build the next generation workforce. Tanglewood Conservatories partner with the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, Caroline County Public Schools and several industry partners located on the Eastern Shore to teach the next generation of skilled craftspersons. Tanglewood Conservatories is also an Affiliated Member of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
As an architect, I enjoy helping clients achieve their dreams for their home. I envy Alan Stein and Nancy Virts for finding their design niche to create magical spaces of great delight surrounded by walls and roofs of glass for their clients to enjoy nature during the day and star gazing at night.
Alan and Nancy’s passion for conservatory architecture also led to the creation of their new book, The Conservatory: Gardens Under Glass, the definitive book on Conservatory Design and its relevance in the modern world. Their book will be published this October and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.
Until the book is published, visit their website at www.tanglewoodconversatories.com and prepare to be amazed!
All images courtesy of Tanglewood Conservatories, Ltd. and are not to be distributed in other publications without permission from Tanglewood Conservatories, Ltd. The Spy is grateful to Tanglewood Conservatories, Ltd. for permission to post the photographs included in this article. Project Team: Tanglewood Conservatories Design Team, HFR Design. Project Team: Tanglewood Conservatories Design Team, Clites Architects, Fritz & Gignoux Landscape Architects, Horizon Builders.
Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.
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