Glass House

 Philip Johnson
New Canaan, United States
Presentation by-Indrajit Gaikwad
 Inspired by Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, the Glass House by Philip Johnson, with its perfect proportions and its simplicity,
is considered one of the first most brilliant works of modern architecture. 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 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.
 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 
 As detailed in the floor plan, the placement of furniture throughout the house is precise. A rug
defines the living room area, while seating around a low table anchors the space. The living room is
the focal point of the house, and like nested boxes, it is the center from which the site is successively
occupied: living room, house, courtyard, and landscape. The fixed furniture plan contrasts with the
surrounding landscape, which is ever-changing through weather and season.