Cover Story | ARCHITECTURE

Cynosure of All Eyes

While debate continues about the suitability of glass in building facades, the potential for creating visually appealing architecture with this material cannot be denied. Here are some masterpieces that demonstrate the genius of their creators.

Sports & Leisure Centre in Saint-Cloud, France
This colourful building is an ultimate recreation centre for children, a vast and playful environment which inspires free play. The building’s facade is clothed with stained and lit glass with pixelated colour. This building by Koz Architects is one of the most progressive in colour, glass and light.

Selgas Cano Architecture Office, Madrid
It can aptly be called the glass capsule of creativity in the middle of a Spanish forest. The outer wall and ceiling of this building is open to the nature around it. Throughout the year, workers at Selgas Cano are directly in tune with their environment.

Sears Tower Glass Balconies, Chicago
The Sears tower glass balconies extend from near the building’s peak at 1,353 feet. The view from Sears is an unparalleled way of seeing the city of Chicago

Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe, United States
One of the modern period’s most celebrated works of architecture, Farnsworth House features floor to ceiling glass throughout, providing an open connection with the riverbank feature of the plot.

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas city has received a modern wing outside its traditional Roman-style centrepiece. This new ‘Bloch Building’ is made from frosted glass, illuminated from within with light from corner to corner. This building has succeeded in creating a modern representation of contemporary art for this museum.

Glass Houseboat by X-Architects, Dubai
Taking inspiration from the Farnsworth House, this houseboat features two levels on a pair of pontoons, skinned with floor to ceiling glass in every direction.

La Estancia Glass Chapel, Mexico
This serene chapel in Mexico stands monolithic on a quiet wooded plot. It has full glass walls, striped with frost for privacy and the feeling of shelter.

National Grand Theatre of China
This grand theatre is a massive dome of glass and titanium. This glass building houses an opera, a theatre and a music hall with a capacity of seating 5,452 guests at a time. The dome is centred within an artificial lake, providing a reflective view of the dome from the street.

Basque Health Department Headquarters of Bilbao, Spain
Inspired by the sculptural focus of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Basque Health Department Headquarters in angular glass has an organically-inspired shape.

X-House by Arquitectura X, Ecuador
X House is a sprawling two storey home with floor to ceiling glass across two levels. While its shorter side walls, its ceilings and floors are metals and wood, its front and rear sides are entirely transparent. The exterior plot is as much a part of the home as the furnishings.

Kanagawa Institute of Technology Glass Building, Japan
This building is a huge, monumental, piece of architecture whose inner beauty is entirely exposed due to the thin glass skin that wraps around its entire exterior. When it comes to glass offices, this building is next to none.

House Cafe Kanyon by Autoban Architects, Istanbul, Turkey
This steel and glass shell is raised above the mall’s stone base with a walnut floor, which combines with the clear glass for an overall warm inner appearance. This structure provides for a separate, exclusive dining experience within the Kanyon shopping mall in Istanbul, Turkey.

IT House by Taalman Koch, California
A glass-walled prefab house has been established in the desert near Joshua National Park. The use of glass at this IT House provides two primary functions for the home, which is entirely off grid and uses solar panels upon its roof to power the little energy needs of the home.

The Louvre Pyramid, Paris, France
This large pyramid rises out of the square in front of the Louvre at a height of 70 feet, consisting of 673 glass sections from tip to base. While this building was built amidst much controversy and critique, it has been lauded as a well-executed merging of classical and modernist architecture.

The Glass Pavilion House by Steve Hermann, California
This glass home features white floors and ceilings with outer walls that are entirely glass. It takes advantage of the warm Santa Barbara county temperatures and qualifies fully to become a habitable house throughout the year.