Tanglewood Conservatories Blog – Alan Stein's Writings about Custom Conservatory Design and More

Back in our January blog entry, Scrap Wood Becomes Art, we introduced you to the Chesapeake Woodturning Guild (CW), the mid-Atlantic chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. These artisans mount wood on a lathe and shape it as it spins by using different types of tools. For quite some time, the CW has been utilizing scrap wood from our conservatory workshop to create beautifully ‘turned’ wood projects such as ornaments, pepper mills, platters, and vases.

Now the CW has found a way to turn our scrap wood into food…

One of CW’s members, Dave Wardrup, got involved with the “Empty Bowls” program at Project ECHO in his community in Maryland. Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger and was created by The Imagine Render Group. The basic premise is simple: Potters and other craftspeople, educators and others work with the community to create handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to a simple meal of soup and bread. In exchange for a cash donation, guests are asked to keep a bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. The money raised is donated to an organization working to end hunger and food insecurity.

Project ECHO staff decided to use the program to help raise funds to support their mission of providing food and shelter for homeless men, women, and families in their community. Dave invited his fellow CW club members to turn bowls for donation to this project. Many beautiful bowls were ‘turned’ from a variety of woods such as maple, mahogany, walnut, cherry, and boxelder. Several members (pictured below) turned beautiful bowls from the scraps of Sapele rescued from our Tanglewood dumpster.

Pictured are Chesapeake Woodturning Guild members:
Charlie Hutchinson, Lou Rudinski, and Tim Moore.

As in past years, this year’s event was a rousing success. Much-needed funding was raised for ECHO House to continue to provide a hot meal & a bed for those who need it. Event attendees enjoyed a meal of delicious soup and received a beautiful handmade ceramic or wooden bowl to take home.

Factoid

In 2011 ECHO House recorded 12,125 bed nights ( one bed, one person, one night), served 18,000 meals, and found stable employment for 86 residents and permanent housing for 40 men, women and families –– all on an annual budget of $200,000. AND the Empty Bowls event helped make it possible!

To find out about Empty Bowls events in your community, or to get started planning your event, please visit www.emptybowls.net.

Nearly 20 years ago, when we were just starting our business and trying to come up with a name for the company, we really struggled with what to call ourselves. My wife (Nancy Virts, company co-founder) woke up one morning and she had it—Tanglewood Conservatories. The name evokes the music of the concerts in the Berkshires that Nancy, who plays piano and guitar, loved so much. It reminds people of the traditional conservatory where music is played, but it is also soft and artful, reflective of our work. The name stuck and we bear it proudly to this day.

The Tanglewood music venue, in the beautiful Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts, is celebrating its 75th Anniversary Season in 2012. They’ll be pulling out all the stops with a great lineup of performances. A highlight of the season will be their 75th Anniversary Gala on July 14th. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, and Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra join forces for the gala occasion with conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart, and Andris Nelsons sharing the podium. Special guests will include violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianists Emanuel Ax and Peter Serkin, and singer James Taylor.

For their full summer schedule, and to purchase tickets, please visit: www.tanglewood.org or call 888-266-1200.

The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Scotland has been around since the 17^th century. There are over 25 glasshouses on the grounds. Some are used for research, quarantine, and propagation purposes but the two worth noting are the Tropical Palm house, built in 1834, and the Temperate Palm House, (the tallest in Britain) built in 1858. Unfortunately, by the 1960s both conservatories had fallen into disrepair and had to be replaced. Even so, it is noted that, “The radical design of the 1967 glasshouses was hailed as the most innovative since Paxton’s Great Conservatory at Chatsworth, built in the 1830s…” We have a more indepth study on both of these glasshouses in Our Heritage section, we invite you to go there to learn more. In January 2012, bad storms, accompanied by strong winds, damaged many of the glasshouses (approximately 400 – 600 panes of glass were broken) and the plants within them.

Reglazing the glasshouses was of the utmost importance because of the need to keep the climates within the conservatories at a constant level, if this was not done, the plants within faced further damage. Spare glass panes are kept in stock but not enough to replace all that were lost. Therefore it became necessary to have more made. Appeals for funds went out to the public in the weeks following the storm and by the 25^th of January, more than £6,000 were received from the public. The Scottish government added £128,183 in funds to help the restoration efforts which were begun immediately. Included in these efforts were a long-term strategy to safety-proof the glasshouses from future storms of this magnitude.

A glazier repairs the tropical glasshouse

Tip Toe through the Tulips (and more gorgeous aromatic flowers)
at the Rawlings Conservatory in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD

Enjoy the amazing Spring Flower Display entitled: FLOWER POWER!!
Opening Saturday March 31 (ending Sunday April 15th)
10am til 4pm Wednesdays through Sundays

Spend a wonderful afternoon meandering thru an historic conservatory filled with beautiful spring flowers! The conservatory in Druid Hill Park, formally recognized as the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory, offers a unique opportunity to see the creative spirit of a great historic glass structure up close AND to enjoy spring in all its colorful and aromatic glory.

This local treasure is an important part of Tanglewood’s heritage. The original structure was completed in 1888 and consisted of the Palm House and the Orchid Room. Designed by architect George Aloysius Frederick, the Palm House, with its 175 windows soaring 50 feet into the air, is a spectacular example of Victorian architecture. The adjacent Orchid Room, although smaller in scale, is equally stunning. The conservatory is one of the oldest surviving glass conservatories in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

DON’T MISS A SPECIAL GOOD TIME:

SNEAK PEEK PARTY: Friday March 30th 6-8pm  Lite Fare $20
A Really Magical Place at night!
Call 410-396-0008 or go to website: http://rawlingsconservatory.org/

Where there are conservatories, there is often amazing art. The same appreciation of light and beauty that leads to the development of a conservatory sparks an artistic spirit. In no person does this appreciation and aesthetic shine brighter than glass artist Dale Chihuly.

Chihuly’s art can be found from coast to coast in public installations and museums. With a deft hand and incomparable vision, Chihuly brings to life startling and inspiring sculptures in colored glass. His own biography shows off his unique connection to gardens and natural settings, stating “Chihuly’s lifelong affinity for glasshouses has grown into a series of exhibitions within botanical setting”.

Exhibits in conservatories like Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, Wright Park Arboretum in Tacoma and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh have showcased some of the best of Dale Chihuly’s art, blending his freeform glass flowers with real tropical and native plant life. The natural light in the exhibits bring new dimension to the art. Chihuly’s art neatly complements the history and style of the iconic structures in which it is shown, blending glass and plant life and bringing new meaning to both.

This spring, Dale Chihuly will open a massive new collection of works in Seattle, Washington. Chihuly Garden and Glass will be the largest exhibit of Chihuly’s work to date in a public setting. Three separate areas encompassing more than 37,000 square feet will hold a dazzling array of pieces by this sculptor of gardens.

Now thru 2/26/2012 – “The Camellia Display & Historic Look at Baltimore’s Horticulture Past” is the theme of a new show at the Rawlings Conservatory in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD. Surround yourself with beautiful flowering camellias and stroll through an exhibit showcasing Baltimore’s rich and varied horticultural past.

Come learn the hidden secrets of Baltimore City’s great conservatories of the early 1900′s. As the single remaining conservatory of six that were once located in Baltimore City, the warm and wonderful Rawlings Conservatory is a green oasis in Druid Hill Park, with permanent collections of exotic plants from all over the world

Before automobiles and television, people flocked to their public parks to escape the bustle of daily life. Today more than ever, an afternoon spent at Rawlings Conservatory will feed your soul and rejuvenate your outlook.

The show is open Wednesday – Sundays, 10am to 4pm, through February 26. For more information, call 410-396-0008. The Conservatory is located in Druid Hill Park at the intersection of McCulloh Street and Gwynns Falls Parkway.

To view the event flyer with details, please click the image:

Recently named by Time Life Books, as “one of the 50 must see ‘Wonders of the World’”, Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona is an interesting study in agriculture and architecture. Built between 1987 and 1991 and named after Biosphere 1 ( Earth is known as Biosphere 1 and is the only currently known biosphere), Biosphere 2 was developed to explore the relationships between, and within, life systems wholly contained within an artificial, closed-off ecological system. The idea was that study could be undertaken on the earth’s biosphere without harming it.

Biosphere 2 is the largest enclosed indoor ecosystem ever created, equal to about two and a half football fields (250 yards) that sits on 40 acres at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, 4,000 feet above sea level. The biomes (synthetic ecosystems designed to mimic climatic and geographic communities of plant, animals, and soil organisms) within Biosphere 2 include:

• 6,233 feet of rainforest
• a 2,788 foot ocean (complete with a coral reef)
• 1,476 feet of mangrove wetlands
• a 4,265 foot savannah grassland
• 4,593 feet of fog desert
• an 8,202 foot agricultural system
• human living areas
• an underground infrastructure

The enclosure is heated and cooled using water that circulates through piping systems, passive solar glass space frames (lightweight rigid structures made from interlocking struts (or trusses) in geometric patterns) panels and electric power supplied through an onsite natural gas energy center.

Steel tubing and high-performance glass and steel frames are used to construct the aboveground portion of Biosphere 2. The window seals and structures were made to be almost perfectly airtight, so that the air exchange would not interfere with the experiments being conducted inside. Especially notable was how the structure dealt with atmospheric expansion. Heat from the sun during the day causes air to expand and at night it cools and contracts. To deal with these constant expansions and contractions, special diaphragms called lungs were kept in domes. To keep the structure cool, large air conditioners were required.

Some interesting facts about the Biosphere 2 building: it is 91 feet at its highest point; there are 6,500 windows and 7,200,000 cubic feet of sealed glass; it is sealed from below the earth by a 500-ton welded stainless steel liner. This “Technosphere” as it is known, is nearly 3.14 acres large and it houses all the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems needed to run the facility. The mission of Biosphere 2 today is, “To serve as a center for research, outreach, teaching and life-long learning about Earth, its living systems, and its place in the universe.” There are two divisions within Biosphere 2, B2 Earthscience, and B2 Institute.

After the facility was completed in 1991, eight people, including a medical doctor, entered the facility on September 26 and began a two-year closed “mission” to attempt to see if the Biosphere was capable of sustaining human life. Animal and agricultural husbandry was used to produce the food needed by the eight-member team. Eighty-three percent of the total diet consumed by the inhabitants during the first year included bananas, wheat, sweet potatoes, peanuts, rice, papayas, and beets. During the second year, the team was able to produce over a ton more food than they had produced during the first year!

The first mission ended exactly two years to the date it started. The second and final mission started on March 6, 1994 and was supposed to last ten months. A team of seven individuals entered but on April 5, 1994, members from the first team, after a dispute with the management team, intentionally vandalized the Biosphere project by opening a door and violating the closure. Soon after, two members of the second team left the enclosure and were replaced by two others. However, in June 1994, the ownership and management company dissolved and the mission ended on September 6, 1994.

In December 1995, Columbia University (New York City) took over the management of the site from its owners (Decisions Investments Corporation) and ran Biosphere 2 as a research site and campus for eight years, after which management reverted to the owners. In 2005, the 1,600-acre campus was put up for sale. In June 2007, DDO Ranching & Development, L.P. bought the property for $50 million and on June 26, management of the site was given to the University of Arizona for the study of climate change and other scientific studies. On July 1, 2011, CDO Ranching &Development officially donated the land and buildings to the University and the Philecology Foundation pledged $20 million for continuing scientific studies and operations.

Biosphere 2 is open daily to the public (with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas days) and is located north of Tucson, Arizona at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains. To learn more, visit Biosphere 2 on the web.

Here at Tanglewood, we’ve always known that each raw piece of wood which enters our workshop leaves as a work of art—whether a beautiful pilaster, a delicate window grille or a sturdy truss in a one-of-a-kind conservatory or estate greenhouse. But what happens to the leftover scraps of our exotic Sapele wood?

Usually, any scrap that is too small to reuse is simply discarded. Until now…

Olivia, one of our craftspeople, found a great use for some of the scrap, turning it into a beautiful double cross sword rack and archery bow rack as gifts for her nephews.

A chance meeting between Olivia and a fellow woodworking enthusiast led the Chesapeake Woodturning Guild (CW) to our door. Since 1992, this mid-Atlantic based group has been a certified chapter of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). The group brings together beginner, intermediate, and advanced turners (some with national recognition!), all with the shared mission of providing education, information, and organization to those interested in turning wood.

So what exactly is woodturning? Simply put, it’s a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe. Where woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking is the wood is actually moving, while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it. Various tools and techniques are used to coax a shape out of the wood. In some cases, wood that is still ‘green’ is initially shaped, then set aside to dry (or ‘season’) for a period of time, and eventually the shaping is resumed to create the final product.

Here is a picture of our craftsperson, Olivia, showing a beautiful bowl created by Chuck Engstrom, a member of the CW, using a scrap of Sapele rescued from our dumpster.

Tanglewood craftsperson, Olivia Larlham

A quick search of the internet reveals many beautiful wooden works of art created by woodturners, from bowls to ornaments, vases to pepper mills, and platters to magic wands. Nearly all types of wood are used, and sometimes multiple types are married in a single project (called ‘segmented turning’) to create a beautiful pattern from the color and grain variations in the different wood species. Woodturning projects can take months to complete, and works from master woodturners can cost several thousand dollars.

Segmented wood vase, featuring three species of wood, created by Tim Moore (CW)

Wood and copper vase ‘turned’ by Tim Moore (CW)

Chuck Engstrom and Tim Moore from CW visited our workshop recently to pick up some Sapele scrap that otherwise would have been destined for the dumpster. In return, they presented Alan with a handsome set of salt and pepper mills ‘turned’ from Tanglewood’s leftover Sapele wood by CW member Lou Rudinski.

Chuck Engstrom (CW), Alan Stein, and Tim Moore (CW)

This wasn’t Chuck’s and Tim’s first trip to Tanglewood, and it surely won’t be their last. They confided they were more than happy to make the drive to retrieve such precious wood to feed their woodturning passion.

There is a lot of excitement here as Alan & Nancy, co-founders of the company, head off to China this month to explore export opportunities for Tanglewood’s beautiful hand-crafted custom conservatories and estate greenhouses. It’s something the company has been considering for a while, especially as more people around the globe have become aware of our brand and the exquisite work we do.

Our company was recently selected to receive the “ExportMD Award”, in support of our efforts to promote our products in other countries. The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development’s International Investment and Trade Office awards the “ExportMD Award” grant to Maryland’s small and mid-sized companies to help offset the costs of marketing internationally. Companies are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in reimbursement for expenses associated with an international marketing effort.

“We have been working closely with the state of Maryland and with the trade experts at DBED’s International Investment and Trade Office to investigate ways to promote our products overseas,” says Alan Stein, President and Director of Architecture at Tanglewood Conservatories. “We really excited about this opportunity, and we are grateful for the support of DBED’s people in China.”

Watch this blog for updates and photos from the trip.   Zai Jian!

I recently wrote about one of our beautiful conservatories being up for auction to benefit the Preservation Maryland organization. The fundraising event was held on the site of the historic Wye House in Talbot County, MD. The auction included many wonderful items featuring the best of each county comprising Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore. The beautiful 21’ x 13’ Georgian-style conservatory was certainly a stand-out among the items up for bid at the event. I’m thrilled to report that the conservatory will soon have a new home and a loving family to enjoy it.

The event was held on a gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon. We certainly couldn’t have asked for better weather! The approximately 300 people in attendance at the event were treated to great music and delicious local fare, including oysters on the half shell and Maryland’s famous Smith Island Cake.

The Wye House in Talbot County, MD

Read more about The Wye House…

Tours of the Wye House Farm and its famed orangery were provided to guests at the event. We took the opportunity to walk in the actual footsteps of those great artisans and prominent historical figures, like Frederick Douglass, who tread this same ground before us. As the sun began to set, we watched the shadows grow long from within the majestic 226-year-old structure.

As we said before, our whole Tanglewood team is thrilled to have one of our own conservatories being used to help preserve other pieces of our history. We truly hope that each of the conservatories we create today will become a precious part of the history of the families around the globe whose homes they grace.