Pulp Studio has expanded its residential design portfolio with a private residence named F-House. This home was designed for a figure in the development of computer gaming who had a vision for a “crystal house” inspired by an image from a fantasy world where a shattered ice form is thrust through rocky terrain. The results are angular and entirely clad in glass.
“This project came with unique challenges as it is a private residence and must be considered as such,” says Kirk Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Pulp Studio. “The homeowner had a particular vision which we were honored to take part in executing. At each phase of the project, we were tasked with maintaining that ‘crystal house’ aesthetic, preserving occupant privacy, delivering material performance and ensuring thermal efficiency. After years of design and construction, this home marks a visual and functional representation of what is possible in the residential design industry.”
About the structure
The 7,300-square-foot home sits along the edge of Lake Washington in Kirkland, Washington, surrounded by greenery and natural rock formations which reflect off every inch of the structure. Mount Rainier stands across the lake.
The structure comprises uniquely cut glass, with no other external materials. Various geometric shapes make up most of the panels, and only a few square or rectangular units exist as part of the casing.
A winter garden separates the main house from the studio and garage, which features a glazed hangar door. A clear skylight runs from the entrance through the main house down to the dining room and garden terraces, with a glass bridge that connects to the master bedroom.
The glass facade is a custom design with a concealed fixing system, each abstract form supported by a steel primary structure. Custom direct-to-glass (D2G) printed borders on all units conceal the hidden toggles that attach the glass system to the building structure as well as the system’s drainage channels.
The glass relies on high-performance, low-e coatings to achieve both visual transparency and the required code compliance. A double silver-coated glass was selected for the main house, and a solar-protected glass was selected for the winter garden, based on its durability and visual quality. Custom dot pattern D2G shading graphics assisted in the overall thermal performance.
All project consultants and contractors adopted an integrated 3D computer-aided design approach to resolve the coordination of the complex design and to document the detailed geometry. This also gave the homeowner a chance to see his vision as it was virtually constructed.
All glass is made up of two elements separated by an air gap, each laminated with a variety of clear, opaque or colored Saflex interlayers. Spandrel panels were insulated with spray foam to the rear walls and ceilings. Offset unit edges were utilized for vertical, horizontal and sloped corner unions.
What the designer says
“With 3D goggles, the homeowner had been walking through the house almost from the beginning of the design,” said Stuart Berriman of Goble Berriman Design, the studio tasked with designing the home. “Typically, when you’re designing a project then constructing, some elements come as a bit of a shock. Things may look different than you envisioned. With this project, the two of us had been walking around for so long that when it was built, it felt very familiar.”
“It would have been hard to do this project without a partner like Pulp Studio,” says Berriman. “One of the things is when you look at the images and think, ‘Wow that looks really complicated,’ it’s actually way more complicated than that. Most bits of glass were unique in how they were manufactured, and Pulp Studio has that expertise and computerized design. We couldn’t have done it any other way.”
Project team
Designer: Goble Berriman Design
Architect of Record: Zeke Busch Architects
Facade Engineer: Laufs Engineering Design
Structural Engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Environmental: Building & Systems Analytics
Interior Design: Hippo Creative
Landscape Design: SCJ Studio Landscape Architecture
Lighting Design: KGM Architectural Lighting
Main Contractor: Krekow Jennings
Façade Contractor: Alutech/Alumen
Glass Manufacturer: Guardian Glass