VISION 42 — THE RETURN OF RADIANCE
What about how occupants experience the space?
Glass is the material that creates the connection.
The glazing links the views from the new house to the
church and the courtyards, glazing creates a through
and through effect. Wherever you are in the house you
can see the church. Without the visual link, you could
have a contemporary house without a church. There
would be no point.
A standout is the detailed glazing around the church
columns in critical junction of new and old.
That’s the talking point. There’s a few talking points
about the house but that’s what everyone sees first.
People are blown away. Even people who don’t know
anything about architecture, you look at the glazing
cut around the bluestone columns and you think,
how is that done, it’s almost impossible. I think Viridian
felt the same. The outcome is phenomenal and I was
excited when they came to watch the installation. This
glass detail brought the project to life and was a critical
moment. Glazing is obviously so important for comfort.
What’s really critical is that you get enough glass in a
building, because without that, there’s just no way you
could achieve such a beautiful environment.
How was your experience overall working with Viridian
to achieve such non-standard, prototype results?
Viridian and the glazing team excelled. What they
achieved was extraordinary. It was a very difficult
project in terms of working around the existing columns.
Then there was the infill of the massive archways with
glass which they had never done in a residential situation
before. Those curved frames posed some difficulties,
but the outcome is remarkable. Viridian, the glaziers,
builders and I put a lot of effort into resolving the glazing
details. Clearly you can see the result is amazing.
Dizzy complexity made simple with a
rare, jeweller’s clarity and eye whereby
glass flows around complex stonework
and bluestone arches.