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November 30, 2009

Steel Pool House Conservatory Update

Filed under: Conservatory Projects, Magazine Articles — Alan @ 8:55 am

looking into cupola
Looking up into the cupola

interior steel detail of swimming pool enclosure
Pictures looking up into the cupola of the steel structure of the swimming pool enclosure.
A detail of the steel structure

Here are some pictures of the old world steel and glass swimming pool conservatory we are building as it nears completion – and with winter fast approaching, it’s not a day too soon.

The great room is now completely weather tight so all remaining work on the inside can proceed unhindered.

Now with scaffolding down and out of the way, the majesty of the structure begins to come into view.

The cast iron and steel parts with their forged curls and intricate rosettes make a tantalizingly reminiscent image that could be right out of a history book on the great glass houses of the nineteenth century. This was our intention from the start. In fact, it was the great glass conservatory at Syon Park which was the original inspiration for the design.

When complete, it will be filled with palm trees and make for one of the most unique custom pool houses Tanglewood Conservatories has ever built.

view of roof

exterior view of project
On the exterior, all of the windows and doors are installed and you can see the wonderful stained glass panels in place. All that is required is the final trim parts to be put on and the stone veneer to be laid up and this will have to wait for springtime and warmer weather.

The construction of this steel and glass conservatory house is a huge undertaking with the conservatory an important part, but only one of many really unique features. Final completion is not expected for another two years!

My other favorite feature of this mega-home is the thirty-five foot long shark tank. When the home is complete, you will descend a curving stairway to a lower level recreation center with the sharks on one side of you and a waterfall that spills over the edge of the swimming pool on the other side.

The theme of much of the home is water which makes sense since the home is situated with exquisite views out across a busy northern waterway.

You can see more pictures of the progress of this remarkable conservatory pool enclosure project at a new page on our website titled “Steel Structures”.

Also included on the page are images of the construction of several other very unique projects, one in particular, the magnificent greenhouse with the curving glass roof that is shown completed on the Antique Greenhouse page.

It is the greenhouse conservatory that is featured in the Washington Spaces article “Enchanted Estate” that was the subject of my previous blog.

Alan

November 23, 2009

Eagle Nest

Filed under: General, Insights — Alan @ 3:50 pm

eagles
I was driving to work the other day when I spied these two bald eagles sitting by their nest in a tree about fifty yards from the road. Years ago, this would have been a rare sight but the population of bald eagles is rising here on the Eastern Shore and now, while not common, they can be seen every now and then.

The bald eagle is a magnificent creature. A full grown adult’s wing span is almost eight feet across and the contrast between it’s deep dark body and it’s brilliant white head and tail is strikingly beautiful when seen in the wild against muted landscape.

Normally, they roost alongside the rivers and bay to have easy access for fishing. The nest in this picture is about three foot across, typical for the big bird.

I can always spot one flying in the distance, it’s wings seem to flap more heavily than the other large birds. It gives me the sense that it’s body is so large, that even with those great powerful wings, it has to work harder to keep aloft. Then in a magnificent instant, it glides to water’s surface from above, extends it’s talons and effortlessly and magically ascends with big fish in hand.

I’ve seen them routinely pick up rockfish (sea bass as we call them here) two feet long, then sluggishly lumber away to the nearest limb to tear at their prey with knife like beak and claws.

Also- In reading a book recently about the Enneagram, a vey ancient geometric diagram that symbolizes and maps the structure of certain types of events, the author uses Sir Isaac Newton’s well know experiment in which he uses a prism to refract sunlight coming through a small opening in his shuttered window to illustrate how the event of setting up and performing the experiment conforms with this structure.

I don’t remember much about Newton from my high school physics classes, but the author mentions that Newton, shortly before he died said: “I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself, I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

This unflinchingly honest self-evaluation stuck me, especially coming from such a man. Who amongst us realizes that the sum of everything that we know is a mere microscopic speck compared to everything there is. How quick we are to think we know so much and have achieved so much!

Alan

November 15, 2009

Painted Dome of “Enchanted Estate” Library

Filed under: Uncategorized — Alan @ 11:31 am

One of my favorite spaces in the “Enchanted Estate” house (that I mentioned last time) is this amazing circular library. It is a two story space ringed with beautiful mahogany bookcases with a domed ceiling. There is an intricate iron balcony at the second level that is supported by beautiful cast iron columns and a cast iron balustrade. The patterned steel floor panels of the balcony give the space an old-world industrial feel which contrasts with the rich natural woodwork. The floor panels were made from large steel plates using a CNC (computer controlled) laser which cut the decorative patterns.

The picture is of John Kiernan’s painting for the ceiling. John said that the owners were interested in creating a scene that would portray something of American history and the great American spirit of discovery. Something that reminded her of the books she had read as a child.

John says of the piece: “My vision was to give it the feel of the face of a grandfather clock with a gilded compass rose.”
It is adorned with detailed images that include Native Americans, Galileo, Christopher Columbus, and the Wright Brothers. The painting even incorporates a night sky with constellation patterns illuminated by fiber-optic lighting, identical to the same night the homeowners were married. “It was amazing to see their faces as the mural progressed,” he recalls. “The most exciting time was when the scaffold was removed and the ceiling was able to be viewed in its entirety.”
For more on John’s work and the decoration of ceilings in general, take a look at the Washington Spaces article: http://www.washingtonspaces.com/2008/3/articles/above-and-beyond

Another friend, artist Jan Kirsh, is showing some of her amazing “fruit and vegetable” sculptures in the garden of the Inn at 202 Dover in Easton, Maryland during the Waterfowl Festival week (beginning November 12th).

Jan’s work is pretty amazing, not at all what I would imagine when thinking of sculptures of fruit and vegetables. When I was an art student, I made paintings and sculptures of bowls of fruit, but Jan’s are completely different. Some are realistic renditions at larger than life-scale, others creative interpretations- all with a subtle sensual quality – completely unexpected for a leek! If you can get over to see her display, you will not be disappointed.

You can see more of Jan’s work at: www.jankirshstudio.com

November 7, 2009

An Enchanting Estate

Filed under: Uncategorized — Alan @ 2:31 pm

The most recent issue of Washington Space magazine features an article on a home that Tanglewood Conservatories designed and built a beautiful greenhouse conservatory for:
A Riverfront House That Has it All, Including ‘The Best Basement on the Planet’

Read more: http://www.washingtonspaces.com/2009/6/articles/an-enchanting-estate#ixzz0WCQbrsU9

I was alerted to the magazine article by our friend John Kiernan, owner of Blue Line Studios and accomplished muralist. He sent me an email with a link to the article also advertising his services this way:

“You know that the holidays are fast approaching, so a room makeover would be a good way to finally pull off that unexpected surprise. Please visit www.kiernanart.com for a last minute gift idea”

John’s work is exemplary and has been on display around the world. I can’t think of a better holiday gift surprise idea – except maybe a beautiful Tanglewood conservatory!

We first met John while working on this project. John was commissioned by the owners to paint the ceiling of a fantastic two-story circular library with an extraordinary narrative scene while Tanglewood of course was commissioned to design and build the greenhouse conservatory.

It is a pretty cool house with lots and lots of unbelievable stuff. They have a story on the basement which is one of the most incredible “basements” I’ve seen. “This basement is awesome – an enormous playground for children of all ages. For starters, it includes a regulation-size two-lane bowling alley…”

The recent article on the estate that can be viewed online at: http://www.washingtonspaces.com/2009/6/articles/an-enchanting-estate#ixzz0WCSXkmbz

You can see the greenhouse to the right of the main house in the picture at the beginning of the article.

Alan

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