Glass House / Max Núñez

Architects: Max Núñez
Area: 130 m²
Year: 2018
Photographs: Roland Halbe
Collaborator: Carlos Rosas
Landscape Design: Juan Grimm
Lighting Design: Interdesign
City: Pirque
Country: Chile

Glass House by Max Núñez is a unique architectural marvel designed to house a small tropical forest within a controlled environment. Located in Pirque, Chile, this project integrates various mechanical systems to recreate a fragment of tropical forest at a different latitude, offering a habitat for diverse plant species and insects while functioning as an architectural showcase.

The glasshouse contains a small tropical forest within its structure. Utilizing various mechanical systems, it creates an artificial environment to support a variety of plants, ferns, palm trees, orchids, mosses, small trees, and insects, replicating a tropical ecosystem at a different latitude.

Humans are only occasional visitors, with the space primarily serving as a house for plants.

The daily routine of the flora is governed by their circadian rhythm and the sun’s movement, influencing temperature and humidity and determining their need for water and ventilation. These atmospheric variables were carefully integrated into the design, linking the natural elements with the supporting structure and mechanical systems.

The roof features two glass block vaults, creating sufficient interior height for the growth of small trees. This structural glass shell forms a continuous surface that prevents shadow projection. The inner face of the glass block is striated to diffuse sunlight, reducing direct radiation on the plants. Structural expansions within the vaults facilitate seismic resistance and guide a system of small hoses with micro-sprinklers to maintain humidity.

At the ends of each north-south oriented vault, mechanical doors open to produce cross ventilation when interior temperatures exceed 24 degrees Celsius. The central support of the vaults accommodates sprinkler water and electrical wiring for ventilation window operation. Around the plants, a 1-meter-high plinth clad in expanded metal reveals heating system ducts necessary for maintaining warmth when temperatures drop below 14 degrees Celsius. These mechanisms, along with an automated irrigation system, are controlled digitally, akin to greenhouse technology used in agriculture. The four glass facades of the building use extra-clear glass for enhanced transparency, making the plants more visible from the outside and transforming the structure into a large showcase that displays its inhabitants.