The Glass House and Grace Farms Study Tour

One of my favourite places to visit is the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut - so imagine my delight when they announced their Study Tour, on Saturday, November 21st - which also includes visiting the newly opened Grace Farms Foundation.

For anyone interested in architecture and design, this will be a spectacular day - visiting two remarkable locations.

The Glass House, built between 1949 and 1995 by architect Philip Johnson, is a National Trust Historic Site located in New Canaan, Connecticut. The pastoral 49-acre landscape comprises fourteen structures, including the Glass House (1949), and features a permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions.

Grace Farms  is known as the River, because of the way it meanders through the rolling terrain. The SANAA building at Grace Farms begins on a knoll and then flows down the long, gentle slope in a series of bends, forming pond-like spaces on its journey. Structurally, the building of glass, concrete, steel and wood is in essence a single long roof, which seems to float some 10 to 14 feet above the surface of the ground as it twists and turns across the landscape. The walkways, courtyards and glass-wrapped volumes that form beneath the roof are remarkably transparent and invite people to engage with the expansive natural surroundings.

The glass-walled volumes of the River are the

•       Sanctuary: a sanctuary/indoor amphitheater with seating for 700 (20,900 sf)
•       Library: a staffed library with resources to research justice, the arts, nature, architecture and faith, with a glass-enclosed conference room and fireplace for discussion and hospitality, as well as Grace Farms Foundation offices (4,550 sf)
•       Commons: a dining room and living room, with capacity for 300, with communal tables built from trees harvested on-site, a coffee bar, sofas and fireplace (14,400 sf)
•       Pavilion: a staffed pavilion where visitors can be oriented to the River building, enjoy a cup of tea or listen to intimate musical performances (950 sf)
•       Court: a gymnasium/multi-purpose space built partially below grade, with adjoining media lab and game room, for recreation, youth activities, receptions and arts performances (16,900 sf)

SANAA’s goal was to make the architecture of the River Building become part of the landscape without drawing attention to itself, or even feeling like a building, with the hope that those who are on the property will have a greater enjoyment of the beautiful environment and changing seasons through the spaces and experience created by the River. Under the continuous roof are five transparent glass-enclosed volumes that can host a variety of activities and events, while maintaining a constant sense of the surrounding natural environment.

Tickets for this program include transportation between sites and an afternoon snack.

Program Itinerary

• 12:00 – 12:30pm – Arrive to Glass House Visitor Center (199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT 06840).
• 12:30pm – Tour begins at the Glass House Visitor Center + shuttles depart for the site.
• 2pm – Tour of the Glass House concludes. Shuttles depart site for Grace Farms.
• 2:20pm – Arrive at Grace Farms.
• 2:30pm – Tour of Grace Farms begins.
• 4:00 – Refreshments at Grace Farms Commons.
• 4:30 – Shuttles depart Grace Farms and return to Glass House Visitor Center + program concludes.

Tickets are $150 per person, click the link to purchase online https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10049807