B
efore the technology used to construct glass roofs was developed
in the mid-nineteenth century, an orangery was simply a building
with large south facing windows. They were used to collect the
warmth of the sun and thereby "conserve" the specimen citrus
trees stored inside during the cold winter months.
Today however, an orangery is functionally synonymous with a
conservatory and greenhouse - though the name sounds more exotic.
This striking example of a neoclassical orangery greenhouse easily commands
the mood on the stone patio with its prominent presence. It sets
the tone that flows from the back of the white-painted brick
colonial out into the cool evening dusk. It mediates the between
the daunting scale of the home's brick facade and the intimacy
of its occupants life on the terrace.
The design approach for the orangery conservatory was chosen
to minimize the height of the building's roof so that it would notinterfere
with the windows, door and small balcony off of the master bedroom that the
conservatory sits below. To keep the glass in the roof itself steeply pitched
(desirable for construction purposes), the roof was subdivided into three
separate narrower roofs linked together in a tripartite design. The effect
inside is striking, and the designer took full advantage. |
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The new greenhouse orangery is
bound to the landscaping and the
home through its use of details
and materials. Stone piers grow
organically from the terrace walls
and together with painted brick, mix
to form the orangery conservatory's
unique base.
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