Visit two significant achievements in architecture on a one-day study tour of Philip Johnson’s Glass House and the newly opened River Building, designed by SANAA, on the grounds of Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT.

The Glass House, built between 1949 and 1995 by architect Philip Johnson, is a National Trust Historic Site located in New Canaan, Connecticut. The pastoral 49-acre landscape comprises fourteen structures, including the Glass House (1949), and features a permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions.

Grace Farms is a welcoming new place, where a building designed by SANAA is seamlessly integrated into 80 acres of open space for people to experience nature, encounter the arts, pursue justice, foster community, and explore faith.

A diverse natural habitat in the northeast corner of New Canaan, Connecticut, this former horse farm is home to numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Approximately 77 of the 80 acres will be retained in perpetuity as open meadows, woods, wetlands, and ponds.

SANAA’s goal was to make the architecture of the River Building become part of the landscape without drawing attention to itself, or even feeling like a building, with the hope that those who are on the property will have a greater enjoyment of the beautiful environment and changing seasons through the spaces and experience created by the River. Under the continuous roof are five transparent glass-enclosed volumes that can host a variety of activities and events, while maintaining a constant sense of the surrounding natural environment.

Tickets for this program include transportation between sites and an afternoon snack.

Program Itinerary
12:00 – 12:30pm – Arrive to Glass House Visitor Center (199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT 06840).
12:30pm – Tour begins at the Glass House Visitor Center + shuttles depart for the site.
2pm – Tour of the Glass House concludes. Shuttles depart site for Grace Farms.
2:20pm – Arrive at Grace Farms.
2:30pm – Tour of Grace Farms begins.
4:00 – Refreshments at Grace Farms Commons.
4:30 – Shuttles depart Grace Farms and return to Glass House Visitor Center + program concludes.