Located on the Tasman peninsula at Koonya, Glass House by architect Thomas Bailey of Room 11 is a learned response to the great glass houses of modernist architecture with a Tasmanian vernacular interpretation of the typology. The idea was for the structure to recede, and to let the landscape be the experience of the house.
Critical to the success of the house and its thermal performance was the siting of the house. The client and architect walked the site and nailed stakes into the locations selected by Thomas. Further setting the floor height was essential in creating the optimal relationship between house and landscape.
Bailey’s knowledge of the micro-climate informed the design process throughout. During cold periods of the year, low cloud cover in the evening holds in the warmth of the day. This particular phenomenon gave the architect confidence to pursue a courageous response to thermal comfort.
Conceived as two horizontal ‘floating’ planes, the architect collaborated with the project engineer to ensure the steel structure was as slender as possible. The only enclosed room within the house is the bathroom, which is hidden within the central timber pod.
