Discovering the Conservatory

There has been a significant revival in recent years of what was traditionally known, especially in the 19^th century, as the conservatory. The romantic and nostalgic associations this term conjures up are, however, somewhat misleading in the context of the present day. With advances in technology and materials, it is fair to say that garden rooms, attached greenhouses and other glasshouse extensions have created totally new living experiences, going far beyond the use to which the original conservatory was once put. The growing trend towards a glasshouse extension is based, in large part, on traditional principles of conservatory design — a thin-framed building incorporating a large surface area of glass. Unlike many other modern forms of building extension, the glasshouse is able to blend in with and conform to the different styles of the home or city apartment to which it is attached. It is this versatility — and, of course, the benefits of flowering plants — that gives it such an advantage over other room designs.

In the past, the value of a glasshouse extension was certainly limited, yet the advances made in building techniques have now enabled this type of structure to be used for a whole range of domestic activities. A fully glazed home extension has been developed that is technically efficient, extremely flexible in terms of application, and in the majority of cases visually acceptable —even in its standard pre-fabricated form.

It is little wonder, therefore, that with these qualities — and the economy of construction afforded by new materials and building techniques — the ‘new conservatory’ is today enjoying a revival as a practical and efficient type of home extension.

The need to extend your home

With the increasing costs of moving — and the problems of finding the right kind of property in the right location — many families are looking at alternative solutions to the difficulties faced by growing households or changed life-styles.

There is probably no other type of domestic construction that can take better advantage of technology and materials than factory-made, standardized components for greenhouses that are easily assembled on the site. The recent resurgence in the popularity of the glass conservatory as an additional room, in a market that has previously been dominated by brick and mortar or wood-frame types of building, is partly due to the reduced cost of manufacture and ease of assembly. Apart from the work involved in preparing the foundations and a suitable substructure, which is relatively simple and inexpensive, a modern conservatory — whether it has an aluminium or timber frame – can be quickly assembled on site from components or even complete walls already prepared and made up in the factory. In other words, what is often the most expensive and certainly most labour-intensive part of the job — the on-site work — is kept to the minimum.

Another major advantage lies in the fact that a conservatory can be put up at virtually any time throughout the year, since its construction is not dependent on suitable weather conditions —except in extreme cold. Apart from the foundations, the assembly work is ‘dry’. This means that, since the main components are fitted together with simple mechanical fixings, once the prefabricated structure is delivered the installation can be carried out even in wet or frosty conditions.

To make a fully-glazed room such as a conservatory habitable all through the year, it is essential to overcome the basic problems inherent in traditional designs. These include condensation, heat gain and loss and all-round insulation. Condensation and heat loss can be reduced to a tolerable level by improving the insulation. In the case of a conservatory, this means double or even triple glazing on the walls and roof. Even this, however, is not always enough, and techniques are now available which improve the insulation properties of factory-sealed glazed units even further.

One method involves filling the gap between the two panes of glass that make up the sealed unit with argon, a gas that reduces the transmittance of heat from the warmer inner pane to the colder outer pane. There are also types of ‘energy’ glass with special coatings that reflect heat back into the room. When incorporated in a double-glazed sealed unit, these types of glass can perform better than standard triple-glazed systems. Their effectiveness can be measured by the fact that the heat loss through ‘energy’ glass in a double-glazed sealed unit can be as much as two-thirds less than that through a single pane of standard glass.

Sophisticated glazing techniques have also been developed to cope with the equally significant problem of increases in heat in fully glazed rooms. The transmittance of solar heat through a glass roof or wall can be limited or reduced either by reflection or by the glass itself absorbing the heat. Solar-control glass that reflects heat is generally the most effective — but also the most expensive. Another disadvantage is that because it can have a mirror-like appearance on the outside, it may look unsuitable in certain locations. Other tinted types of glass, which absorb heat and are cheaper may suit the image of the traditional conservatory better, although they are slightly less efficient. They are commonly available in grey or bronze tints of varying intensity. Further, various types of shades are available for installation both inside and outside the greenhouse or conservatory.

The glass revolution

The developments in manufacture and treatment of glass, with the advances made in the associated framing and sealing systems, have brought about a fundamental revolution in architectural design at many levels. For literally thousands of years architects have struggled within the resources available to them first to enclose space and then to light it. The traditional methods of building design reflect their efforts to achieve a compromise between enclosed space and light.

Fortunately today those advances in material technology have allowed designers far greater scope than ever before. Now they can design buildings in which a wall can be a window and a window can be a wall. Thus, current building technology has brought the attributes of the conservatory within reach of residential builders and home and apartment owners who desire glass rooms that afford flexibility and attractive space at reasonable cost.