We recently completed an interesting project outside of Toronto, Canada. The owners had purchased a log cabin on a beautiful wooded property and added a very contemporary addition which features a “silo” with a glass domed observation deck at the top.
On the interior of the silo is a spiral staircase that ascends to a small round room at the top covered by the glass dome. The room is a 13’ diameter retreat, just big enough for the owners to escape from earth and watch stars light up the night sky, clouds sail past and the sun set over the trees on the distant horizon.
For years people have inquired if we had ever built such a room (a domed silo conservatory) but we never had, so I was delighted when Jon Goulding, the in-house architect for Mathew Sapera Fine Homes in Toronto, first called and inquired.
Here’s the dome starting its trip to the top.
Jon was great to work with. We had to make sure the room functioned as an actual usable space- for example, there needed to be enough head room at the top of the stairs to meet code, and Jon wanted it to have just the right look. The dome is one half of a sphere and there are twelve windows around its base. We settled on twelve facets because on the one hand, we didn’t want it to have too many facets- then it would seem too crowded and the windows would be too narrow for the view, but on the other hand, if there were not enough facets, the dome would not seem “round”.
Working with Jon, we came up with a good compromise, a terrific, unique project and another very satisfied customer.
Our installer’s artful depiction of the finished silo project.
One of our installation guys showing the strength of the dome.