Project: F-House / Location: Kirkland, Wash. / Glass Designer: Pulp Studio / Designer: Goble Berriman Design / Location: Los Angeles and New York City / Architect of Record: Zeke Busch Architects / Facade Engineer: Laufs Engineering Design / Façade Contractor: Alutech/Alumen / Glass Manufacturer: Guardian Glass / Photography: Embers & Oak Storyworks
This striking custom home in Kirkland, Wash., features intricate glass panels by Pulp Studio covering almost the entire home.
The client for the home, a major figure in the computer gaming sector, 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, breathtaking and entirely clad in glass.
“This project came with unique challenges as it is a private residence and must be considered as such,” said Kirk Johnson, CEO 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.”
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Designed by Goble Berriman Design, the 7,300-square-foot home sits along the edge of Lake Washington, surrounded by abundant greenery and natural rock formations that reflect off every inch of the structure. Mount Rainier stands across the lake, an organic complement to the house’s rigid contours and impressive stature. 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.
“The project was conceived from the fusion of the client’s imaginative crystal house, vision and the extraordinary nature of the site along the north shore of Lake Washington,” says Stuart Berriman, who likens it to like shattered ice emerging from rocky terrain. “The steep, wooded site descends dramatically to Lake Washington, surrounded by remnants of old-growth conifer forest and offering sweeping views across the lake toward Mount Rainier,” Berriman says. “The home’s siting carefully threads between existing trees and aligns interior spaces with key view corridors toward the lake, mountains and forest.”
Pulp Studio used high-performance low-e glass to achieve visual clarity and stringent energy performance. The insulated glass units incorporate a mix of clear, opaque and colored interlayers, while the glass selection process included several rounds of on site testing with large samples to get an exact fix on the desired color and reflection. 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.
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“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,” Pulp Studio says.
Pulp Studio says the glass facade is a custom design with a concealed fixing system, while custom direct-to-glass 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.
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, and offset unit edges were utilized for vertical, horizontal and sloped corner unions.
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“It would have been hard to do this project without a partner like Pulp Studio,” Berriman said. “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.”
All that glass begs the question: What is the energy efficiency of the home and how comfortable is it? “The internal climate is controlled through an integrated building management system with geothermal-based radiant floors and natural ventilation, supplemented with cooling for summer extremes,” Berriman says. “The house envelope includes high performance low-e insulated glass with spray foam insulation to the rear of the spandrel glass panels in order to meet all the performance code requirements. Despite an all glass exterior the building is very energy efficient.”
