One might easily envision this small hardwood greenhouse to be an elegant
conservatory high on its overlooking perch. Instead, the owners will use
the south facing room to pot the many specimens that will fill their home.
Afloat
on a floral sea, the room also
serves as an apt terminus to the expan-
sive house. It eases the transition from
the upper terraces down to the lower
green. It adds a bit of human-sized scale
next to the stone stairway where you
have to walk close to the house.
The unusual contour of the roof was designed
to mimic the lines of the main house. The
cupola is glass but the lower roof is clad with
lead-coated copper on the outside and trimmed
with mahogany bead board on the inside.
Jim Davis AIA,
Inside this 175 square
foot greenhouse there's
enough space for several
small tree, rows of
colorful begonias, a
potting sink and a bistro
table with chairs for two.
Simple but well thought
out details set the tone.
the architect who designed the new home, had worked
with Tanglewood on several previous projects and had come to value
the role that an experienced specialist can play.
He had chronicled his thoughts on our working together in an article pub-
lished in Design Build magazine (click to see article) in which he speaks
of "Collaboration: The Key Ingredient".
"The collaborative process developed
by my firm and Tanglewood has
evolved from that initial project...
to one that, four conservatories later, begins at
the earliest possible point when the design
parameters and budgets are being developed.
"To me, the collaboration with Tanglewood is
analogous to commissioning a sculptor for a
piece of art. I lay out the design generically and
then rely on their specialized expertise. Because
of the talent of their staff, Tanglewood can design
a conservatory that is sympathetic with my own ideas."
"In my years working with Tanglewood, I have
come to use the relationship that Alan and I have
built together as a model for I want a professional
collaborative relationship to be."
After only two meetings with Jim and his clients,
a design was finalized to unanimous consensus.
