This spring, we had the incredible opportunity to tour three amazing architectural works in New Canaan, CT. The tour was arranged by the Boston Architectural College, and included one well-known modernist icon, one lesser known modernist masterpiece, and one phenomenal new project. We experienced Philip Johnson’s Glass House, the Eliot Noyes House, and Grace Farms.
Well, we could write a dissertation on each of these places, but we really just want to share our overall impressions of how each of these three iconic pieces of architecture approach their relationship to nature.
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It was both of our first time seeing the Glass House, although like most students of design, we were well aware of its place in design history. The house was built in 1949, and it was groundbreaking in so many ways, but the most impactful feature is its transparency.
Although we’ve seen countless images of the house, there’s nothing like experiencing a building like this in person, first hand – to walk through the space, to really feel what is like to have ALL than transparency! All of the spaces in the house – the living space, kitchen, dining, living, bedroom, study – are completely exposed to the outside (except for the bath, the only enclosed space). Nature is the wallpaper – Johnson once said, “I have very expensive wallpaper”.
Could we live in this space? Probably not – it is a bit TOO transparent for comfort! But it is an incredible way to experience nature from the interior, and feel a complete connection to the natural environment. The house sits on a 47 acre landscape, with a number of buildings built from 1949-1995. Each building has a unique design approach – it was incredible to experience a space where so much architectural exploration and innovation happened.
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Philip Johnson was part of the “Harvard Five”, a group of architects that settled in New Canaan in the 1940s. The group included John M. Johansen, Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, and Eliot Noyes. Our tour included a very special visit to the Eliot Noyes house, led by Fred Noyes, Eliot Noyes’ son, and an instructor at the BAC.
Built in 1955, the house is brilliantly designed to integrate with nature.
The north and south walls are fieldstone, while the east and west walls are floor to ceiling glass, separated by wood and steel columns. The house is a single story building, comprised of two rectangular modules connected by an open courtyard. One module is the living (public) spaces, while the other houses the bedrooms and bathrooms (private) space. Walkways with covered roofs connect the two modules, but they are essentially open to the elements. The integration with nature is achieved through materiality and form, and the connection that occurs through the physical experience of nature while passing “through” the house, and in the framed views defined by the glazed areas.
This was an incredibly special opportunity, as we got to experience the house “lived in”. It was not a house museum, but rather you could experience what it is like to live there. And it was fabulous – we could definitely live here!
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Completing the day was a tour of Grace Farms, an 80 acre property founded by the non-profit Grace Farms Foundation in 2015 as a gift of open space for people to experience nature, encounter the arts, pursue justice, foster community and explore faith. The signature building was designed by SANAA, with Prtizker Prize winning architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. This “building” is
comprised of a series of programs and structures organized along a sinuous “river”, fluidly integrating inside and outside.
The architects describe their concept: “We wish to open the boundaries between interior and exterior because the site and nature facilitate an understanding of an individual’s place in the cosmos. It can be at once majestic with gardens, and long views, while at the same time very personal with shelter and places for meditation.”
“We designed a long roof following the topography, which floats on the site centrally. Winding and crossing the site freely, this structure creates many covered buffer spaces across the expansive property while also forming courtyards. Interior programs are organized and wrapped into glass volumes according to their character and usage under the roof. These glass volumes are, at times, located close to one another while others are further apart, creating different views and atmospheres. For example, from one room, one may see the large lake in the distance and from another, one can overlook the wetland which stretches into the landscape below. This singular roof also gives way to a variety of ambience such as a lively room facing a lively courtyard, and a calm space with sunlight trickling through the foliage of the trees.” The building is at once integrated with, and connected to nature.
The three buildings each address nature in a unique way – the Glass House was fully transparent and connected, the Noyes House is integrated with nature, and Grace Farms achieves both transparency and integration with nature. Each approach is relevant, and appropriate to the design intent.
It is so fantastic that we have these ground-breaking and innovative pieces of architecture right in our back yard! Thanks to the BAC for arranging the amazing experience!
Felice + David
