Glass House In The Garden Metro Boston, MA
Glass House In The Garden Metro Boston, MA

Modern Bonsai Greenhouse

This modern glass building, designed in collaboration with Peter White of ZEN Associates, is set in the garden of a metro Boston residence, and evokes the midcentury penchant for clean, horizontal lines, and exposed structural elements. A painted tubular steel frame is infilled with aluminum sliding glass doors. The subdued luster of anodize bronze finish insists on the dignity of shape and settles the greenhouse into its surroundings.

The interior is divided in two with a finished sitting space in the front and a functioning greenhouse to the rear. The sitting space has a green roof of native grasses and overlooks a Japanese rock garden. The polished concrete floor and gas fireplace provide a sense of domestic interiority. A glass roof lets light into the rear greenhouse, and the gravel floor and teak benches lend this space, used for Bonsai cultivation, a naturalistic atmosphere.

Glass House in the Garden is situated in the landscape designed by the late Ron Herman and ZEN Associates.

meditation studio with fireplace made of steel and glass
live grass rooftop bonsai greenhouse made of steel and glass
entry to glass and steel bonsai green house
meditation studio with fireplace made of steel and glass
bonsai greenhouse with glass roof
bonsai greenhouse with glass roof
The ethereal glass-and-steel pavilion seems to float above a rock garden….The potting room’s zen-like simplicity masks a sophisticated mechanical and drainage system. “You can literally open up a hose on the floor, and all the water will sink into the ground,” says architect Colin Flavin, who designed the glass house in collaboration with landscape architect Peter White.
"A Place to Bond With His Bonsai," Wall Street Journal, 2016
bonsai greenhouse with glass roof and garden sink
meditation studio with fireplace and connected bonsai greenhouse
steel and glass green house with large fireplace
bonsai greenhouse with glass roof
large boulder ledge in foreground with glass and steel greenhouse in background
meditation studio with fireplace and connected bonsai greenhouse
cad drawing floor plan greenhouse

Credits

Landscape Design

Ron Herman Landscape Architect

Landscape Architect

ZEN Associates

General Contractor

Thoughtforms

Landscape Contractor

ZEN Associates

Structural Engineer

Siegel Associates

Mechanical Engineer

Sun Engineering

Structural Steel

Kelley Welding

Architectural Masonry

R.P. Marzilli Landscape

Windows + Doors

Architectural Glazing Systems

Photography

Peter Vanderwarker Photography
Gregg Shupe Photography

Awards + Publications

"Best of Houzz Design, Modern Shed," Houzz, 2024

"Serenity by Design," Atomic Ranch, 2020

"Amor por los bonsáis," Arquitectura y Diseño (Architecture and Design, Spain), 2017

"A Place to Bond with His Bonsai," Wall Street Journal, 2016

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