Conservatory

A conservatory for plants and people; a lookout to the garden and the night sky, sheltered from the elements. This extension to a weekend retreat offers space for a growing family with a living room and special space for protecting and enjoying plants from other climates. The light and transparent building is organized into five glass-panelled volumes, and  two stone volumes.

Nestled in the middle of a landscaped garden with mature trees -notably five sequoias, the largest tree species in the world- a steel, glass and stone structure was built using a tennis court as its foundation. The court, after having been abandoned for years, was naturally turning into an empty space hidden by the surrounding vegetation until it became a place for viewing the garden from within. The project opens up the garden to this possibility for introspection. A glass cabinet that becomes an observatory for star gazing at night.The project is inspired by English glasshouses in gardens as the one where Charles Darwin conducted his experiments, and by the roofs of agroindustrial buildings.

Photographs by Onnis Luque