Overview
This expansive Tennessee farmhouse residence, designed by NYC-based Meyer Davis Studio, was conceived as a modern interpretation of a hunting lodge using clear span walls. Transparency was the primary goal in all design considerations to ensure an intimate connection between the homeowners and the striking landscape surrounding the property, and Sentech’s VetraSpan Clear Span System was used to achieve that design mandate. This structural glass application is unique in that the glass panels support themselves, and this structural glass systems does not utilize any out-of-plane support.
This project is a testament to the advances in jumbo glass manufacturing technology…optical quality was critical & panels were held to extremely tight flatness tolerances for joints to align.
Optical quality and bow tolerance are key factors in the manufacturing of jumbo glass panels for clear span walls. As jumbo glass manufacturing technology has evolved and available sizes have increased, the optical quality of jumbo panels and the ability to manufacture jumbo panels to extremely tight bow tolerances has advanced significantly over the past decade. On this project, these advances were critical during design and installation to ensure joint alignment, and enabled the team to design with thicker glass without the concern of distortion.
A key project challenge on this clear span system came from the selection of the glass. To maximize clarity, the architect and glazing contractors chose annealed glass, which led Sentech to develop a creative solution that required steel straps concealed within the vertical glass joints, hung from the roof structure, and supporting the bottom of the panels. The resulting structure is a striking, modern interpretation of a farmhouse soaking in all the light and natural beauty around it.
Credits
Architect: Meyer Davis Studio
Glazing Contractor: W.S. Nielsen
Owner: Private
Photo Credit: Rachel Paul
