THE GLASS

HOUSE
PHILIP JOHNSON
 PHILIP JOHNSON
When he was awarded the first ever Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1979,
the jury described Philip Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005)
as someone who “produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the environment,"
adding that "as a critic and historian, he championed the cause of modern architecture and then went on to
design some of his greatest buildings.”
 PHILIP JOHNSON’s philosophy
1) His greatest influence as an architect was his use of glass.
2) Johnson was among the first to experiment with all glass facades, and by the
1980s such buildings had become commonplace in the world.
3)He believes in “architecture is basically the design of interiors, the art of organizing interior space.
 INTRODUCTION
Completed in 1949, the Glass House was the first design Johnson
built on the property. The one-story house has a 32'x56' open floor plan
enclosed in 18-feet-wide floor-to-ceiling sheets of glass between black steel
piers and stock H-beams that anchored the glass in place
The structure, however, did not impress Mies when he visited the house. It is said that the
brilliant mentor to Philip Johnson stormed out in fury because of what he interpreted as a
lack of thought in the details of the house.
 CONCEPT
At the Glass House is clearly one of the most important architectural principles proposed by
Mies van der Rohe: “Less is more, here are minimal materials used, elements of the economy
is very clear and does virtually any ornament.
The basic concept of The Glass House was taken from the house Farnworth by Mies van der Rohe,
but with differences as the symmetry and the seat firmly on the ground. The interior space is divided by
cabinets and a low brick cylinder containing the bathroom. Much of the furniture Bauhaus Johnson stays
at home
 MATERIAL

The floor of a cube whose contour is formed only by the thin steel work painstakingly painted black.
The steel frames of black and red brick cylinder that contains the fireplace and the bathroom,
set the volume of this work and anchor the composition to the floor, causing the building was
erected almost naturally on the ground, which distinguishes it from the designs of
Mies van der Rohe, who generally float-in-space.
Due to the ceiling opaque and transparent walls of the house of glass, visitors will have the wonderful
feeling of being permanently under one roof, but never found inside a building.
The transparency of the material allows the landscape element that is virtually built the image inside the house
 INTERIORS
The floor is also made of red brick laid out in a herringbone pattern
and is raised ten inches off of ground level. The only other divisions
in the house besides the bathroom are discreetly done with low cabinets
and bookshelves, making the house a single open room. This provides ventilation
from all four sides flowing through the house as well as ample lighting
 reflections
Nonetheless there are still many features that contribute to the beauty of the house.
The clear glass panels create a series of lively reflections, including those of the surrounding
trees, and people walking inside or outside of the house, layering them on top of one another
creating everchanging images with each step taken around it.
Cylinder brick structure
The interior of the Glass House is completely exposed to the
outdoors except for the a cylinder brick structure
with the entrance to the bathroom on one side and a fireplace on
the other side. The floor-to-ceiling height is
ten and a half feet and the brick cylinder structure protrudes
from the top.
plans
sections
Thank you