Glass House Designs & Ideas

Daytime view of home from side of cliff. This home has wonderful views of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal park. Anice Hoachlander, Hoachlander Davis Photography LLC

House By The Pond The overall design of the house was a direct response to an array of environmental regulations, site constraints, solar orientation and specific programmatic requirements. The strategy was to locate a two story volume that contained all of the bedrooms and baths, running north/south, along the western side of the site. An open, lofty, single story pavilion, separated by an interstitial space comprised of two large glass pivot doors, was located parallel to the street. This lower scale street front pavilion was conceived as a breezeway. It connects the light and activity of the yard and pool area to the south with the view and wildlife of the pond to the north. The exterior materials consist of anodized aluminum doors, windows and trim, cedar and cement board siding. They were selected for their low maintenance, modest cost, long-term durability, and sustainable nature. These materials were carefully detailed and installed to support these parameters. Overhangs and sunshades limit the need for summer air conditioning while allowing solar heat gain in the winter. Specific zoning, an efficient geothermal heating and cooling system, highly energy efficient glazing and an advanced building insulation system resulted in a structure that exceeded the requirements of the energy star rating system. Photo Credit: Matthew Carbone and Frank Oudeman

False Bay Writer's Cabin in San Juan Island, Washington by Olson Kundig Architects. Photograph by Tim Bies.

Sharon Risedorph

Modern glass house set in the landscape evokes a midcentury vibe. A modern gas fireplace divides the living area with a polished concrete floor from the greenhouse with a gravel floor. The frame is painted steel with aluminum sliding glass door. The front features a green roof with native grasses and the rear is covered with a glass roof. Photo by: Gregg Shupe Photography

This modern home in New Buffalo, Michigan had its concrete polished up to a 400 grit concrete polish by Dancer Concrete out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. This polished concrete floor system incorporates a polished concrete Densifier and concrete stain guard for durability. The benefits of doing a polished concrete floor in your home are: easy maintenance, increased light reflectivity, and long term durability. We like how this otherwise warm space with its red wall accents is complemented by the cool gray color of this floor. Share your thoughts with us below!

DMVF were approached by the owners of this mid century detached house in Dartry to undertake a full remodel, two storey extension to the side and single storey extension to the rear. Our clients were extremely conscious of the environment and so the house has been insulated to an extremely high standard using external insulation. There is an new demand control ventilation system a new intelligent heating system and new solar panels. The family rooms and living spaces are light filled and interconnect. A large sliding door separates the living room from the family room which gives great flexibility. Photos By Ros Kavanagh.

Wood clad walls define the actual enclosure of the interior space, but do not necessarily rest on the floor or wrap all sides of the space. In contrast to the upright and vertical wood and concrete planes, a zinc-edged roof is decidedly horizontal, often extending beyond the enclosed space to create shade and echo the dramatic umbrella-like canopies of nearby trees. Phillip Spears Photographer

Ciro Coelho Photography

Photography © Claudio Manzoni

Libertad Rodriguez

© Bates Masi + Architects