After 20 years of planning, a couple build their vision in Oregon
On the outskirts of a tiny agricultural town, where hay bales and tractors are the usual roadside attractions, sits a 1,440-square-foot glass box.
Three sides of the house are transparent, made from triple-paned glass, leaving the living area, kitchen and bedroom visible. The fourth wall is clad in cedar siding to protect against the wind in the winter. The glass walls, which climb to 16 feet in some places, overlook the 80 acres of farmland the house sits on, plus vistas of field, sky and mountain.
Inside, the house is a single chamber of clean lines and cool grays. Rusted steel beams punctuate the glass, and a small oak box inside the home hides a bathroom and office. The kitchen, a Bulthaup unit, is essentially a sheet of silver metal.
The decor is modern and minimal; there are no paintings, photos or television sets. Storage units line the fourth wall. "You don't need pictures and paintings because the mountains change throughout the day with the weather," says owner Marjorie MartzEmerson, 58, who says she and her husband, Paul Emerson, wanted to create a home they felt was part of nature.
It's been more than six decades since architect Philip Johnson, inspired by Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House in Illinois, completed his iconic Glass House in Connecticut. But homeowners willing to follow that example are "quite rare," says Scott Frank, spokesman for the American Institute of Architects, adding that the population of possible owners is limited to "people that are very comfortable with themselves."
Completed in 2008, the house is testament to the determination of the couple, who spent two decades planning to build their vision. The couple, who work for Hewlett-Packard to minimize the environmental footprint of its products, drive a 25-year-old BMW and a 10-year-old Audi. Their primary home is a 900-square-foot apartment in Vancouver, Wash.
The idea for the glass house was born soon after the couple married in 1987, when Ms. MartzEmerson was captivated by a photo of Mr. Johnson's Glass House in a magazine. Though they began looking for a remote, mountain-adjacent lot over the next two decades, considering land in Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota and New Zealand, it wasn't until 2003 that they came across the 80-acre parcel outside Joseph. They bought the property in 2004 for $250,000, investing more to make the land buildable.
The couple screened four other architects before choosing Jim Olson of Olson Kundig Architects in Seattle, whose firm had designed several of the homes they had clipped from magazines over the years. "It's not every day that someone comes in wanting something so small," says Mr. Olson, whose residential projects usually range from 4,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet. "But I think there's a certain luxury to be able to live in a minimal space surrounded by this incredible amount of nature." The design and construction of the house and a nearby barn, used for guest and garage space, cost about $1 million.
A 78.5-acre parcel of land nearby, with a three-bedroom house, barn and other buildings, is listed for $1.5 million, according to Real Estate Associates.
At work, the couple evaluate emissions for products like printers. Their home is likewise eco-friendly. In the summer, when the sun is high, a ledge running along the south-facing glass wall blocks direct sunlight. Screened windows and patio doors circulate breezes. A set-back concrete slab under the home not only elevates the home off the ground, making it look as if it's floating, but also traps heat in the winter, when freezing temperatures arrive. Argon gas pumped between the panes of glass prevents heat from escaping (radiant heating and a fireplace don't hurt).
"Everybody said, 'How can you build a glass house out where it really gets cold in the wintertime?'," says Ms. MartzEmerson. "Well, it's warm and cozy inside." Monthly utilities for the home run around $35.
Walls of glass are challenging for a meticulous couple who remove their shoes before entering the house. The couple have the glass professionally cleaned once or twice a year (the exterior takes about 10 hours), and regularly clean a few panes during their visits.
Strolling around the property last weekend, the couple pointed out wild mustard and the yellow, frilly stalks of lamb's quarters amid green alfalfa fields. As gray clouds gathered, they speculated about the direction of the storm, then scattered to close windows and put away patio furniture when the wind picked up and raindrops began falling. One benefit of the sudden storms that regularly pass through: "It can help keep the glass clean," Mr. Emerson says.
On the outskirts of a tiny agricultural town, where hay bales and tractors are the usual roadside attractions, sits a 1,440-square-foot glass box.
Three sides of the house are transparent, made from triple-paned glass, leaving the living area, kitchen and bedroom visible. The fourth wall is clad in cedar siding to protect against the wind in the winter. The glass walls, which climb to 16 feet in some places, overlook the 80 acres of farmland the house sits on, plus vistas of field, sky and mountain.
A Glass House
![[SB10001424052748703748904575411451227594206]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-JL774_emerso_D_20100804131813.jpg)
The decor is modern and minimal; there are no paintings, photos or television sets. Storage units line the fourth wall. "You don't need pictures and paintings because the mountains change throughout the day with the weather," says owner Marjorie MartzEmerson, 58, who says she and her husband, Paul Emerson, wanted to create a home they felt was part of nature.
It's been more than six decades since architect Philip Johnson, inspired by Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House in Illinois, completed his iconic Glass House in Connecticut. But homeowners willing to follow that example are "quite rare," says Scott Frank, spokesman for the American Institute of Architects, adding that the population of possible owners is limited to "people that are very comfortable with themselves."
Completed in 2008, the house is testament to the determination of the couple, who spent two decades planning to build their vision. The couple, who work for Hewlett-Packard to minimize the environmental footprint of its products, drive a 25-year-old BMW and a 10-year-old Audi. Their primary home is a 900-square-foot apartment in Vancouver, Wash.
The idea for the glass house was born soon after the couple married in 1987, when Ms. MartzEmerson was captivated by a photo of Mr. Johnson's Glass House in a magazine. Though they began looking for a remote, mountain-adjacent lot over the next two decades, considering land in Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota and New Zealand, it wasn't until 2003 that they came across the 80-acre parcel outside Joseph. They bought the property in 2004 for $250,000, investing more to make the land buildable.
The couple screened four other architects before choosing Jim Olson of Olson Kundig Architects in Seattle, whose firm had designed several of the homes they had clipped from magazines over the years. "It's not every day that someone comes in wanting something so small," says Mr. Olson, whose residential projects usually range from 4,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet. "But I think there's a certain luxury to be able to live in a minimal space surrounded by this incredible amount of nature." The design and construction of the house and a nearby barn, used for guest and garage space, cost about $1 million.
A 78.5-acre parcel of land nearby, with a three-bedroom house, barn and other buildings, is listed for $1.5 million, according to Real Estate Associates.
At work, the couple evaluate emissions for products like printers. Their home is likewise eco-friendly. In the summer, when the sun is high, a ledge running along the south-facing glass wall blocks direct sunlight. Screened windows and patio doors circulate breezes. A set-back concrete slab under the home not only elevates the home off the ground, making it look as if it's floating, but also traps heat in the winter, when freezing temperatures arrive. Argon gas pumped between the panes of glass prevents heat from escaping (radiant heating and a fireplace don't hurt).
"Everybody said, 'How can you build a glass house out where it really gets cold in the wintertime?'," says Ms. MartzEmerson. "Well, it's warm and cozy inside." Monthly utilities for the home run around $35.
Walls of glass are challenging for a meticulous couple who remove their shoes before entering the house. The couple have the glass professionally cleaned once or twice a year (the exterior takes about 10 hours), and regularly clean a few panes during their visits.
Strolling around the property last weekend, the couple pointed out wild mustard and the yellow, frilly stalks of lamb's quarters amid green alfalfa fields. As gray clouds gathered, they speculated about the direction of the storm, then scattered to close windows and put away patio furniture when the wind picked up and raindrops began falling. One benefit of the sudden storms that regularly pass through: "It can help keep the glass clean," Mr. Emerson says.