Glass House Designs & Ideas

Fork River Residence by architects Rich Pavcek and Charles Cunniffe. Thermally broken steel windows and steel-and-glass pivot door by Dynamic Architectural. Photography by David O. Marlow.

Large glazed new build house in Epsom with double height living spaces, swimming pool and sunken courtyard garden. Photography: Lyndon Douglas

Peter Vanderwarker

Photographer: Dror Baldinger http://www.houzz.com/pro/drorbaldinger/dror-baldinger-aia-architectural-photography Designer: Jim Gewinner http://energyarch.com/ April/May 2015 A Glass House in the Hill Country http://urbanhomemagazine.com/feature/1349

Peter Sellar, www.homedesign.com 44 Belvedere Residence. Windows, doors and curtain walls by Bigfoot Door. Designed by Guido Costantino.

Eames House, Case Study House No. 8 (1949), Pacific Palisades, California, designed by Charles and Ray Eames Photograph: Flickr user kleemo's photostream, used under Creative Commons license.

Photo: Barry Halkin

Photos by Joe Fletcher

AMD House (2009) Project, Management and Construction Location Altos del Sol Gated Neighborhood, Ituzaingo, Buenos Aires, Argentina Total Area 205 m² Photo DOT Principal> Arq. Alejandro Amoedo Lead Designer> Arq. Alejandro Amoedo Project Manager> Arq. Alejandro Amoedo Collaborators> Valeria Bruno, Lucas D´Adamo Baumann, Verónica López Garrido. The shape of this house, located in a gated neighborhood to the west of Greater Buenos Aires, was inspired by a painting and its driving force was the coincidence of the lines dribbled by its owners long before getting to know each other. On a trial-and-error basis, it was an experimental project where we sought to get rid of the influences of the predominant images of current design and the main aim was to search for internal and external sensations, sustainability and re-using of left-over materials. This generates situations to be found almost constantly; the virtual relationship with the garden and its pond, with three levels, interacting with each other through the double-height glass at the different times of the day, together with the clouds, the sky and its different hues. The cross ventilation and the sun entering the room in winter are also significant. The functional layout finds a solution, in few meters, to the needs of a very large family. On the ground floor, the kitchen, the dining room and the sitting room are integrated so as to offer a spatial continuity that makes them flexible from a functional point of view and visually larger. The half-covered garage, located next to these rooms works as a complement to them, becoming a barbecue area that may be fully closed. The finishes are mainly those of the construction in apparent conditions: reinforced concrete, wood, aluminum and glass. The main construction system involves rigid frameworks, built by concrete and steel beams and columns, whose main function is to cover large areas with little material and to replace division walls by other items such as furniture, plants, panels, metal or wooden and glass sheets. Thus, the rooms are filled with natural light and are offered an industrial aspect inspired by the origin of Lofts in New York.

Ben Hosking

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

Attractive living as an architectural experiment: a 136-year-old water tower, a listed building with a spectacular 360-degree panorama view over the City of London. The task, to transform it into a superior residence, initially seemed an absolute impossibility. But when the owners came across architect Mike Collier, they had found a partner who was to make the impossible possible. The tower, which had been empty for decades, underwent radical renovation work and was extended by a four-storey cube containing kitchen, dining and living room - connected by glazed tunnels and a lift shaft. The kitchen, realised by Enclosure Interiors in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with furniture from LEICHT is the very heart of living in this new building. Shiny white matt-lacquered kitchen fronts (AVANCE-LR), tone-on-tone with the worktops, reflect the light in the room and thus create expanse and openness. The surface of the handle-less kitchen fronts has a horizontal relief embossing; depending on the light incidence, this results in a vitally structured surface. The free-standing preparation isle with its vertical side panels with a seamlessly integrated sink represents the transition between kitchen and living room. The fronts of the floor units facing the dining table were extended to the floor to do away with the plinth typical of most kitchens. Ceiling-high tall units on the wall provide plenty of storage space; the electrical appliances are integrated here invisible to the eye. Floor units on a high plinth which thus appear to be floating form the actual cooking centre within the kitchen, attached to the wall. A range of handle-less wall units concludes the glazed niche at the top. LEICHT international: “Architecture and kitchen” in the centre of London. www.LeichtUSA.com

This modern hilltop “homestead” is located at the peak of a cattle property. An expression of the meeting of rural life and culture unique to the country town of Armidale. Photography: © Edward Birch

Libertad Rodriguez