Surprises Await in Small Glass Boxes

“Glass box” is a saying — occasionally endearing, more times not — describing buildings made up primarily of glass walls. Believe Mies van der Rohe’s designs of homes and office buildings. However, a glass box may also be just a box made from glass that is part of a larger composition. I’ve gathered three projects which have glass boxes: One is an entrance, one can be a dining room (among other things), and you is a facade. Keep reading to find the power of glass boxes.

AR Design Studio Ltd

Lighthouse 65 is a beachfront house overlooking the Solent and Isle of Wight on England’s southeast shore. The design by AR Design Studio uses the roof for a surface for parking three automobiles. A little bridge then provides access to a glass box house stairs into the lower levels.

AR Design Studio Ltd

The raised glass box connects directly to the footprint of this spiral staircase, whose steel grating allows light to filter under.

AR Design Studio Ltd

The house is maximizing views into the water. The glass box sticks over the two flooring, such as an exclamation point.

AR Design Studio Ltd

A side view of the house indicates the discerning use of glass, primarily toward the water to get viewpoints but largely absent on the flip side for solitude. The glass box definitely stands out from these surfaces.

Elliott + Elliott Architecture

Elliott + Elliott Architecture clarifies the House on Casco Bay as “the memory of a 19th century Cape Cod residence that stood on the site for more than 100 years and the desire to get a new, minimalist spatial saying.” Those contradictory facets are obvious here.

Elliott + Elliott Architecture

The house is actually made up of a few glass boxes which project from the Cape Cod volumes. Here we view the connection between two of the volumes about the left and also the main entry on the right.

Elliott + Elliott Architecture

On the other side of the house are the dining room (left) and backyard access (right).

Elliott + Elliott Architecture

From inside, the dining room is a dramatic space with 270-degree views.

Moussafir Architectes

This house in Paris made by Moussafir Architectes is inserted between two existing buildings. The architects conceptualized the house such as a shrub, and the main facade consists of three glass boxes which project and overlap each other; they link to the stacking of the flooring within.

Moussafir Architectes

The tree-like facet of the glass boxes comes in the kind of displays that shut off the facade and supply shade for the insides.

Moussafir Architectes

The effect at night is very striking. Note the patterns throw on the neighbors’ walls.

Moussafir Architectes

The metallic displays relate to the usual shutters which may be seen on most Parisian buildings. Their patterning is accomplished via means: laser edge.

Moussafir Architectes

While I’m fond of the displays from outside, they’re even more powerful from inside. They do a fantastic job of cutting down on direct sun in addition to creating solitude, something which glass boxes in various shapes and sizes are well known for.

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