7 Inspirations for Glass as a Building Material

Glass is a versatile material used by humans in the building industry for a long time. The use of Glass for building materials is very diverse such as floors, partitions, windows, skylights, and much more. The advantages of using Glass as a building material include: it is transparent, weatherproof, rust-resistant, recyclable, and aesthetically attractive. With innovations in the field of technology, Glass has developed into many variations in shape and become a sustainable material. Here are seven examples of applying Glass to buildings and how architects use it optimally.

Glass as the Roof at Chuzi House, India

A house in Shoolagiri, India, is surrounded by dense vegetation and camouflage with three trees around it. This house designed by Wallmakers starts with the walls and spirals out of a material that looks like wood upwards to form the roof. Among the wooden spirals is a glass roof design to give the impression of living under the canopy of trees. The use of Glass for the roof is triangular-shaped shatterproof Glass connected to an iron construction. Natural sunlight can enter the house through this glass roof.

The Interior of Chuzi House in India

The Glass Roof of Chuzi House

Glass as a Display of Outdoor Apparel and Gear Products in China

Arc'teryx is a high-performance outdoor apparel and equipment industry that exists in China. The store is designed with the concept of a "Bonfire in the snow," which can be seen from the shape of the warm-toned façade shining softly like a bonfire that warms a snowy night. Inside the store are many crystal decorations, similar to iceberg resin material applied to bar counters and columns. To complete the visual impression, some product display furniture is made with a wooden frame surrounding frosted Glass. This type of Glass is semi-transparent and adds aesthetic value because it looks like Glass covered with snow dew. 

The Interior of Arc’teryx Store in China

The Detail of Frosted Glass for Display

Use of Glass as a Wall in NANA Coffee Roaster

The concept of NANA Coffee Roasters is to create a space that enhances the coffee experience for visitors. The design of this café is made to unite the interior space with the surrounding landscape. IDIN Architects applies glass walls to almost the entire building to provide a different experience for visitors. While enjoying a cup of coffee, visitors feel relaxed with the green atmosphere of the plants. Glass material is used as walls and openings because it is weatherproof and does not rust easily if exposed to rainwater from outside the room. Glass is also applied to the ceiling with a reflective mosaic shape.

Glass Material Unites Interior Space with Landscape

Agrotopia Using Building Facades from Glass 

Agrotopia designed by Van Bergen Kolpa Architects + META Architectuurbureau is Europe's largest research center for urban food production. This building devoted to education and research is also called a "greenhouse" because its façade and roof are made of sturdy transparent glass with steel construction. This roof serves for the circulation of sunlight, and thermal energy from the sun will be channeled into energy that is useful for the building. Glass is a sustainable material that is fully recyclable materials that provide great environmental benefits for the survival of humans and plant ecosystems.

Glass Material Applied to Facades and Roofs

Use of Glass Blocks at Brooklyn Barbershop in Indonesia

KeRa Design designed the front of this store using glass block material instead of conventional brick walls so that a modern and charming impression appears from the outside. The advantage of using this material is that it can pass light from the interior and beautify it because it has different motifs and can add aesthetic value. In addition, the glass block has a non-transparent appearance so that privacy in the space is maintained. Glass material is also applied to transparent glass doors that can be swung for entry into the building.

Glass Block Applied to Brooklyn Barbershop

The Main Entrance of Brooklyn Barbershop

Glass Material applied for Interspace Liaison in The House of Remembrance

Located in Singapore, Neri&Hu built a house with a garden in the middle as the center of the building. Glass around the garden aims to maximize visual transparency and connect communal areas, living rooms, open kitchens, dining rooms, and study rooms. In addition, an open skylight above the garden makes sunlight and natural living enter the area of the house. As the access to the central garden, it uses a clear glass door that can be shifted and serves as a cross-ventilation.

The Use of Glass Material in the House

Use of Glass Materials in Mae-An-Geo in South Korea

The villagers' community center in the Dangjin city area is named Mae-An-Geo, which can be visited and used by all residents. Due to its more open nature, this cube-shaped building also has transparent Glass as its façade. With a wide glass opening, everyone in the living room can still enjoy the scenery outside. Zozo's studio, as the designer of this building, also made a glass tower equipped with curtains to block excessive light in the summer. So that the glass material is also safe to respond to the change of seasons.

The Use of Glass Material in Mae-An-Geo