Watch How a Sculptor’s Cliffside Glass House Seems to Grow Out of the Rocks
When she stumbled upon a forested area by a stream on the trails of Spain's El Camino de Santiago, her goal was set in stone. She turned to Gregory Wiedemann and Barbara Sweeney of Wiedemann Architects LLC to turn her vision into a reality.
Follow us to Falling Waters, West Virginia, where Strait fell in love with a stone quarry overlooking the Potomac River, poised at the edge of a cliff. By focusing on space and light, the design team started conceiving how they would utilize the incredible surrounding’s natural light in a way that would enhance Strait’s creative experiences within her new home. To do this, Wiedemann turned to Kolbe Windows & Doors with the confidence that he would be able to find the right windows for the job—ones that have been created with architects in mind.
Wiedemann strongly believes that a window is the threshold between inside and outside, and that it’s important to utilize a selection that emphasizes an open connection with your surroundings—particularly for an artist who depends on natural light. He chose to use Kolbe Windows & Doors' VistaLuxe® Collection, which has clean, narrow site lines that seem to disappear.
How about hearing from the masterminds behind the project? See for yourself what went into the visionary process behind this sensational glass house, and how the sleek implementation of windows forged a sanctuary that Strait can thrive in.
Strait envisioned a house that was molded into its surroundings and that disrupted the landscape as little as possible. Similar to her work, the structure delicately touches down in an organic way. When they were developing the plans on-site, they were successful at moving only the bare minimum of existing boulders.
Kolbe’s dedication to providing windows for visionaries allowed Strait to create the workspace of her dreams. Surrounded by glass, she consistently gains inspiration from the light that streams through and the way it changes throughout the day.
For Wiedemann and Sweeney (pictured here), it was all about the composition of materials. They incorporated a mix of concrete, steel, glass, and wood in a way that also spoke to Loraine’s work as an artist.
The sheer amount of glass encasing the house warrants a strong connection to the natural beauty of the grounds, and serves as a constant reminder of its surroundings.
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