Glass Farmhouse | Olson Kundig

Located in Northeast Oregon, this small house is conceived as a contemporary glass box that floats atop the surrounding wheat fields. Facing south towards the distant mountains, the house adapts well to the cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. In the winter, the orientation takes advantage of passive solar heat gain from the low-angled winter sun, while in the summer, roof overhangs and a light shelf block the high hot summer sun from entering. Large, operable windows provide cross-ventilation cooling, lessening the house’s need for air-conditioning. In addition to its sustainability, the design responds to the traditional architecture of barns and farmhouses in the Pacific Northwest.