The Tanglewood Times Summer Edition 2022

TANGLEWOOD TIMES Summer Edition 2022

Extraordinary Conservatories | Beautiful windows and doors

Table of Contents Note from the Founders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 On the Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Inside conservatory Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 New Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Noteworthy Reads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

FRIENDS, Have you ever had your morning coffee while watching the sun rise in a conservatory? Admired a bonsai or caught the fresh scent of springtime blossoms as the sun streamed in from above? If so, you have felt the spell cast by conservatories as we did many years ago, for a conservatory is a truly magical place.

Nancy and I first became enamored by these marvelous wonders while traveling abroad. We learned very quickly that the design of a conservatory is highly personal – especially when accompanying grand estates. From their unique architecture to the memories created underneath its grand glass roof, they encompass a legacy.

Over the years we have been fortunate to work with some of the greatest people we have come to call friends. In our collaborations, we have expanded our portfolio to new heights unlike anything Nancy and I would have dreamed when we first founded Tanglewood – and we could not have gotten here without our innovative partners and creative clients.

Our mission has always been to inspire and delight those we touch through the creation of extraordinary glass architecture. Within these pages, we hope you too become enamored with these timeless treasures and find inspiration for your own conservatory.

Sincerely,

Alan & Nancy

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On the Boards

A Gardener’s Dream: Tanglewood’s Latest Adventure on the West Coast Imagine… creating your perfect, tranquil environment at home…

On the West Coast, it is no surprise families want to capture the beautiful views and immerse themselves in their gardens year-round. Conservatories, orangeries, and greenhouses are often sought after to help create an environment that effortlessly merges the indoors and outdoors. Whether you are looking to create the perfect focal piece, a tranquil environment, or a place where family and friends gather frequently, your conservatory will be a room like no other!

The design and manufacture of a conservatory is always an exciting time for our clients – especially when we arrive on site to start installing it!

A Gardener’s Dream Conservatory Two years ago, Tanglewood met with a client who envisioned creating an elegant focal piece on their property.

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Their passion for gardening and horticulture was a large part of what prompted the desire for the conservatory; it was to be a tranquil space where friends and family could gather but also serve as a place of relaxation and rejuvenation.

Early in our conversations we knew the design of the conservatory would be essential. The family described their vision was to create something that complimented the house but as you drove up from the main entrance, it would be one of the first things that captures guest’s attention. In working with the team there were many unique elements we could play with from the main house, so we explored various shapes and materials to complement the existing architecture.

After some deliberation, we decided the conservatory would be constructed using Sapele Mahogany, but to tie it into the existing house, the stone would extend from the main house to the knee wall of the conservatory, and we introduced a beautiful, solid copper roof!

This is quite different from a normal conservatory where the roof is mainly glass, but it was important the conservatory was not too transparent that it blended into the house.

As the design further evolved, notice the peaks and valleys in the roofline, subtle decorative elements in the highlight windows, and the two-tiered, curved roof over the main conservatory area. The linkway was an important feature to serve as a transition from the foyer to the conservatory. As you walk through the linkway into the conservatory, you will feel those grand, tall ceilings raise even further! Creating a true showpiece, the main conservatory stands at over 19 feet tall with the addition of the cupola.

While our team is still on site installing the conservatory, we can’t wait to share the result with you later this year!

For more information about how to start planning for your own conservatory, orangery, or greenhouse, visit our website at www.tanglewoodconservatories.com or give us a call at 410.479.4700!

Contact Us!

COMING SOON In addition to this beautiful copper conservatory, our team is working on a number of other collaborations across the country! From garden follies and custom skylights to complex conservatories and greenhouses, stay tuned for the next project release coming this fall!

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A Celebration of Conservatory Architecture

What Makes Great Architecture: The Steel and Glass Pool Enclosure For award-winning architect, Ken Tate, and architects alike, asking them what makes great architecture is like asking Mozart how to create music. It is, indeed, a subjective question. Almost indescribable - great architecture embodies a sense of clarity to it where everything makes sense.

A few years ago, we sat down with Ken to talk about what distinguishes great architecture from good architecture and here is what we discovered.

What is great architecture?

Is great architecture the timeless notion of beauty?

Need it be eternally memorable from creation, obliged to tell a thousand stories?

Must great architecture exhibit bold and purposeful innovation? Should it express its function in an interesting and meaningful way, demanding admiration for its immodest assertion?

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Is great architecture a strangely familiar reaffirming of tradition? Expertly crafted to solicit a strong visceral reaction, stirring us at an almost spiritual level?

Does great architecture conform to universal laws of symmetry and proportion? Should it resonate with its surroundings and faithfully appeal to our sense of balance?

According to the ancient Roman architect, Vitruvius, architecture is as much math and science as it is philosophy and art. His famous treatise, De Architectura, outlined three fundamental principles essential for architecture; balanced elements of firmitas, utilitas and venustas. In fact, the same theory still applies to architectural design today.

Likewise, Ken Tate carefully observes truth in Vitruvius’ basic principles by stating great architecture is a harmony of “composition, proportion and materials”, that when combined, exudes a “certain self-confidence.”

Self-described as an intuitive classicist, Tate is the recipient of a Shute Award from the Institute of Classical Architecture and a three-time winner of the Southern Home Award from Southern Progress Corporation. His instinctive and open-minded approach to design has been featured in many magazines including Southern Living, Period Homes and Architectural Digest on numerous occasions; one of which was a steel and glass pool pavilion designed and built in partnership with Tanglewood Conservatories. Widely recognized for his unrestrained imagination and awe-inspiring design aesthetic, Tate’s “creative approach is never quite the same from project to project.”

Click the button below to look at a collaboration we did with Ken Tate. Tate’s carefully articulated vision of “old-world” style, paired with Tanglewood’s custom design and expert craftsmanship, inspired the creation of an extraordinary steel and glass pool enclosure. This project is sure to captivate your imagination and inspire your own creativity.

Steel & Glass Custom Pool Enclosure

For Tate and architects alike, asking them what makes great architecture is “like asking Mozart how to create music”. It is, indeed, a subjective question.

Almost indescribable - great architecture embodies a sense of “clarity to it where everything makes sense.”

Artistic focus and detailed application of design create a balanced and harmonic architectural melody.

Individual to each architect’s imagination, Tate describes architecture “as something beautiful, not meant to show off”. It is quite simply a work of artistic genius. “You just know it when you see it.”

What distinguishes great architecture from good architecture?

This is sometimes difficult to discern. Most often the distinction is found in the smallest design details. It is the conscious consideration and polishing of each design component, such as window sills, panelling styles, door casings, hardware and the like.

“God is in the details.”

Mies van der Rohe

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Summer Maintenance on Your Custom Greenhouse or Conservatory!

Are you considering a custom glass addition but are unsure what maintenance is required?

Custom greenhouses and conservatories are fun, architectural additions to prolong your growing season, experiment with new edibles to spice up your recipes, and are beautiful both inside and out. As spring quickly approaches, now is the time to start doing maintenance checks so we thought we would share a few tips to keep your greenhouse in tip-top shape.

1 | Structure Maintenance For Wood Routine maintenance checks are crucial for the longevity of any structure, just like the type of wood you choose to make up your greenhouse. Consider woods with great rot and weather-resistant properties such as Sapele Mahogany.

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As the seasons change, each climate affects the wood differently. We recommend a minimum of twice a year to conduct a maintenance check – once at the beginning of Spring and again around mid to late Fall. Start by carefully looking over the frame and base to see if there are any chips in the paint, damage to the wood, leaks or any other problem that would require fixing. This quick semi-annual check will help to catch any potential issues early to avoid costly damages!

It is important, especially before a hot summer, to make sure you have proper ventilation and air circulation to reduce the formation of dampness and mold. Then, before winter hits, make sure to install a proper vapor barrier to keep humidity from building up due to the lack of ventilation that typically occurs during the winter months because the doors and windows are shut to keep the heat inside. For a fully controlled greenhouse environment to help with this, consider adding greenhouse systems.

2 | Glass Maintenance One of the most common maintenance questions we are asked is how to clean the roof glass.

People are often surprised roof glass does not need a lot of attention as rainwater helps in the day-to-day cleaning and clearing of items off the glass. About 2-4 times a year we recommend getting up on the roof to do a good cleaning depending on whether you see build-up on the glass. The roof glass is strong enough to support additional weight to lean on which makes it easier to do yourself, or you could hire a company to clean it for you.

3 | Interior Upgrades For Custom Greenhouses A common issue for greenhouses in the winter is managing the low humidity to avoid distressed plants susceptible to dry-climate-loving pests like spider mites.

Use a humidity meter, a hygrometer, to monitor how dry the air is. According to our friend and horticulturist, Dea Schofield, “Even cacti and succulents need a little misting to be at their best. Also, just keeping debris swept up deprives pests of a place to hide out.,”.

Now is also the time for pruning and repotting plants now in bloom.

Dea recommends interior upgrades such as venting, interior water supply (a hose and spigot), proper drainage, humidity control with a misting system, fans, heating, or heat mats for growing food plants.

4 | Recommended Plants to Grow in Greenhouses In speaking with Dea about what plants we should consider planting this year, here is what she recommends

"Annual and perennial herbs like basil, cilantro, dill, chives, thyme, rosemary (medium shrub) bay (shrub/tree that makes a beautiful accent in a greenhouse), tarragon as great to have on hand. Also starting tomatoes, peppers, okra, and aubergine is great right now. In fact, if the greenhouse is warm, those can be grown throughout winter with the right care. It’s also the time to start your cucurbit vines for planting outside later: pumpkins, watermelon, squash, zucchini."

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DESIGNING BEAUTIFUL GARDEN DISPLAYS AT THE LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDENS Are you curious how these beautiful garden displays are designed at the public conservatories?

We recently sat down with Allan Summers, a Principal at Robinson Anderson Summers Landscape Architects, who designed the grand garden displays at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, to learn more about how their beautiful garden displays came to life and here’s what we learned!

The Minds Behind the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Displays Landscape architecture is unique. It combines a passion for horticulture, art, design, engineering, and architecture to carefully craft beautiful garden displays. For Robinson Anderson Summers Landscape Architects, their awardwinning team has worked on various public and private gardens, historic restorations, conservatory exhibits, and

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even healing gardens for health care and hospital facilities across the country! To accommodate such a diverse clientele, their team has an in-depth knowledge of horticulture which allows them to design with a wider pallet.

“All three principals and even some of our staff have degrees or have studied horticulture... While it is critical to create the infrastructure and the bones of the garden, the plants that you then put in can completely transform the feeling that emotes from that garden. So, knowing a wide palette can really help to create different experiences for the visitor.”

-Allan Summers Principal RAS Landscape Architecture

Designing a Living Work of Art at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Before putting pencil to paper, Allan and his team had to uncover the motivation behind the space. Allan mentioned, “Through our programming workshops, we discovered they wanted to offer a variety of experiences and different plant communities in an unusual and beautiful aesthetically pleasing way so that it was not something that would be anticipated as people walked through each of the environments.”

circular footprint to create a unique central exhibit that spirals up so plants are at all different levels, then cascades down to showcase a variety of different growth habits. The water feature, while heard throughout the gardens was intentionally “hidden” at the back of the exhibit to create a sense of curiosity for visitors.

“Often in garden exhibits people come in and see the water right away, and our concept was let’s put the water towards the back, so they hear it, and are compelled to find it – now there’s some mystery.”

Due to the conservatory’s unique design, Allan’s team had to be very careful in their design of each space - not

-Allan Summers Principal RAS Landscape Architects

only did it need to be beautiful and easy for visitors to move through the exhibits, but the garden staff needs to be able to maintain what’s going on behind the scenes!

The remaining three houses were meant to be flexible and subtropical. To the right of the Central House is the Subtropical House. While the house itself is rectilinear, the side walls curve out to break up the space and allow for lovely, raised planting beds. As you continue through the exhibit, the walls come back in to set the tone of transitioning into another space. Inside, there is another

One of the most notable features is the large 50ft glass dome atop the Center House of the conservatory.

Underneath its roof, Allan mentioned they played on its

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water feature cascading from high up that fall into a series of pools and a living plant wall filled with orchids and ferns. The goal was to create an exuberant, lush feeling to it. Lastly, the remaining two houses were designed to be flexible garden spaces to host events and exhibits year-round.

What’s Next Summers?

for

Landscape

Architect

Allan

“I travel a lot and wherever I travel, I visit gardens.”

When Allan reflected on his career as an award-winning landscape architect, he mentioned one of the things he loves to do when visiting the gardens is just sitting and noticing how people react in the gardens. He said, “…all these gardens are an expression of the cultural, political, and aesthetic sensibility of the times that they are created in. I am very much inspired by the sense of placemaking and particularly for what we’ve been living through, you know people need a place of solace and watching people go into the gardens where they immediately decompress is very powerful. That’s what really inspires me to want to keep designing and creating beautiful places.”

For more information about Lewis Ginter and Robinson Anderson Summers Landscape Architects, click the buttons below!

RAS Landscape Architects

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

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New Resources Available: Over 300 Years of Inspiration

The Collection: Over 300 years of conservatory architecture captured in this online library!

“There is so much we can learn from the history of conservatories, and it is our hope that in sharing what we have learned, people continue to admire and appreciate this style of architecture. We must preserve and celebrate these architectural legends and what they stand for.”

Alan Stein President, Director of Architecture at Tanglewood

It is amazing to see how far conservatories have come.

From their exquisite details and materials to the connection they bring with the outdoors, they truly are a unique architectural addition. But they weren’t always that way! The idea of a conservatory-like space has undergone numerous advancements since the 17th century, both in function and form. Their advancements in materials, technology, and building techniques are inspired – paving the way for even more unique design possibilities as we evolve!

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When Tanglewood’s non-profit, Untangled Minds, created the Conservatory Heritage Society, their mission was to spread awareness of conservatories and educate people about the fascinating social, cultural, botanical, and engineering developments over the last 300 years. After the release of Alan and Nancy’s most recent publication, The Conservatory: Gardens Under Glass, we received a lot of feedback from our partners and clients about how helpful this publication was as inspiration in their own projects! So, in collaboration with the Conservatory Heritage Society, we published a digital library cataloging the evolution of conservatories in one easy resource!

Through spectacular archival and contemporary photographs and drawings of landmark structures, dive into some of the world’s most revolutionary conservatories and orangeries including The Orangery at Versailles, Castle Ashby Orangery, the Palm House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, New York’s Crystal Palace, and Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay!

Be sure to bookmark this FREE resource at conservatoryheritage.org!

View the Collection

Inside the Collection Starting where it all began, immerse yourself in 17th and 18th-century architecture where we see the first form of the conservatory – the Orangery. The architectural style was heavy, with large decorative stone columns and designed as an open-air space. As advances in technology and building materials evolved, we begin to see small introductions of glass, transforming the orangey from an open-air space that protected plants to an enclosure for growing.

Fast forward to the 19th and 20th centuries, these years are where we see a pivotal transition from orangeries to conservatories. With greater availability of glass and other building materials came more room for experimentation! Glass could finally encompass the whole ceiling and bring in more natural light than ever, making the conservatory a more transparent form of architecture.

Now in the 21st century, we see even more unique uses for conservatories and creative design solutions for both private and public estates.

To order a copy of The Conservatory: Gardens Under Glass, visit papress.com!

Order a Copy of The Conservatory: Gardens Under Glass

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Additional Reads

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How to properly maintain your custom conservatory!

What to grow in your custom greenhouse!

Read More

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Conservatory pool Enclosure: a client Story!

What is the difference between conservatories and sunrooms?

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Upcoming Events

Longwood Gardens Kennett Square, PA

The Conservatory of Flowers San Francisco, CA

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Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Richmond, VA

Franklin Park and Botanical Gardens Colombus, OH

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