A casa de vidro

Abstract

The glass house as a concept for a project of housing represents an exercise that puts the relationship of domestic space with its surroundings in a new dimension, at the same time that invites to a reinterpretation of the way it works in the privacy and environmental control of these spaces. At the beginning of the twentieth century, through international exhibitions, there are experiences that drive the use of glass in architecture (such as Bruno Taut Glass Pavilion) and that open the door to reflection around the house with transparent elevations (such as the Pavilion of Barcelona by Mies van der Rohe). In the late 40th and early 50th come the two works that really represent the concept of pure glass box applied to the domestic space: the Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson's Glass House. These two houses are crossed by the surrounding views in any direction and take a singular space inserted in nature. This feature highlights the constant ambiguity of the boundary question in these houses with glass walls. Its entire perimeter is transparent and so the limit is physical but not visual. The actual limit of the domestic space, the one that really defines the space where its inhabitants live, is its natural surroundings. Already in the second half of the twentieth century there are variations that arise from the concept of the pure glass box which involve the use of opaque walls in order to ensure the privacy of more intimate spaces of the dwelling. The Glass House of Lina Bo Bardi consists of a volume in which the public area of the dwelling, which is completely transparent, is separated from the private area (built in opaque walls) by a single line of the design. On the other hand, in the Upper Lawn Pavilion by Alison and Peter Smithson, an opaque wall defines the boundary facing the route of access to the property, and fits the remaining structure composed of three transparent elevations. All of these volumes represent a willingness to approximate the house to the natural surroundings, however, the use of a single glass plan to close the space translates into a poor thermal performance characterized by high temperatures in summer and the opposite in winter. In an attempt to respond to the problem this dissertation goes for an analysis of three transparent volumes designed by the German architect Werner Sobek which materialized spaces with all walls made of glass and that have at the same time an excellent thermal performance through a highly developed climate systems. We must, then, "open path" to a different understanding of the relationship of the domestic space with its surrounding reevaluating the possibilities of comfort of its interior through support for new technologies.