Glass Box in The Middle of Green Fields by Olson Kundig Architects

Located in Northeast Oregon, a small house has been rebuilt by Jim Olson in 2007. Collaborating with a number of design teams like FAIA (Design Principal), Ellen Cecil, AIA LEED AP (Project Manager), Michael Wright (Architectural Staff), This is the result of a simple idea that is provided to be a bridge between nature, culture, and people. Located in over wheat fields and the side face facing the mountains, cross-ventilation the glass, as a coolant and roof overhangs for sun protection is the most important feature here.

Description from the architects:

Located in Northeast Oregon, this small house is conceived as a contemporary glass box that floats atop the surrounding wheat fields. The design of the house and the accompanying wood-frame barn responds to the local vernacular of barns and farmhouses in the Pacific Northwest while responding to the client’s deep interest in the design of Philip Johnson’s Glass House.

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; in the summer, roof overhangs and a light shelf block the high hot summer sun from entering. Large, operable windows of high-efficiency glass provide cross-ventilation cooling, lessening the house’s need for air-conditioning.