House of Glass

House of Glass

.....is a beguiling concept house. A design for a unique home in a sensitive live situation for a serious planning application and seriously new way of construction.

Building on theories developed while a student at The Royal College of Art in his master's thesis subject 'Glass in Architecture', this is an application. Vaughan's thesis caused a bit of a stir as it made future predictions about the potential of glass in architectural projects, principally due to the confidence of engineers and partly the power of computing. The rise of both realising new possibilities in application, because the time was the first emerging usage of structural glass and the power of computers to crunch the complexities of putting complex glass structures together as well as calculate the maths involved.

Vaughan predicted an explosion of the use of glass because it has great flexibility to which manufacturers may respond in product development and the natural property of light transfer is a distinct advantage with inherent stability, unlike plastics. A further important advantage, it is made from the most common material in earth, silica, approximately 65% of earth is based in raw ingredient we know well as sand. He analysed also that energy to delivery of most useful material in building strongly supported glass products when referenced against usefulness. He must have had a point, the Thesis gained distinction and is lodged in the libraries at the Imperial Campus, London.

He came across an artistic movement in the inter-war years called The Crystal Chain, which included an association of artists, poets, designers and architects, all exploring the concepts of light, glass, crystal in expressing a future vision. Projects were realised, but sadly cut short in full expression by the second world war. Resources then disbanded into more pressing concerns and we lost what could have been. They dreamt of among other things, realising a cathedral all in coloured glass.

However, the tech expanded in ways they could not imagine, such as fibre-glass, heat resistant forms, and foamed glass. Fibre-glass also developed, and beyond cut-mat format into what is known as pultruded sections. Glass has some unique qualities, one is when drawn into strands a curious structural transformation takes place. Normally glass is very strong in compression, amazing considering it is classed as a liquid. Glass in strands become highly resistant in tension. Structurally this is an anomaly in the mystical material but part of it's flexibility to respond to designer's needs in material terms. Pultrusions are GRP products designed with long strands unidirectionally, set in resins. Little known, these products have some serious advantages in creating products especially where strength to weight issues become important.

Vaughan explored all these areas in his thesis and made some mental explorations as to how these things could develop. Visiting companies such as the famous Pilkington Group, but also the ones making headway in pultrusions, et Lionweld Kennedy for example. Each product specifications applied to differing subjects in structural terms. One that Vaughan developed was using foamed glass, a novel material used in insulation products, making large panels of inert, flame proof, chemically resistant, rot proof and stable sheets and blocks with good impact resistance. Commonly used in floor insulations over other insulation forms.

Vaughan explored using foamed glass at the core of a wall construction in it's own right, used with a coating of glass reinforced render on either side. The thinking is that the usual construction separates the structure and insulation, each doing separate jobs. A foamed glass wall when rendered becomes both in one and has advantages over the other. The analogy is human bone structure with a honeycomb centre and hard impact resistant outer surface.

In the Glass House, this method is used for construction, providing floor and wall. A form 'could' be used to create what is termed 'stressed skin panels' to self span from wallplate up to ridge, but in the design here SIP panels where incorporated, the established timber equivalent, Vaughan settling for coating in glass tiles as opposed to slates, which inturn were also PV format, so the whole roof generated electricity. Latterly Elon Musk of Tesla Technologies has cornered the market for such products.

Public side, Entrance façade of The Glass House, with grand door, approximately to centre. The glass walls are faced in a mix of knapped flint and slag glass to give a crystalline finish, literally to sparkle in the sunlight. This builds upon the knapped flint use in a nearby Grade 1 church and Ancient Monument. So a contemporary reference in the build nodding to the historic and local material technology. The finish would grade up the wall with darker flints to plinth areas working up to lighter and slag glasses blending into chalk areas, a resin stabilised area.

The private rear elevation reveals the complex asymmetrical roof pitches and complex play between the 'limbs' on the plan layout, with large glazed areas to face direct sunshine for solar gain and look out to the views perfectly framed. This is a 'chalet' design on grand proportions with high ground floor ceilings and generous roof spaces for bedroom areas breaking out to glass ballustered balconies.

The plan is complex in layout to respond to the site which has competing orientations between solar gain and views, public and private positioning.

Ground Plan.

The Ground Plan with North shown, the entry on that side left here. It was important to maximise the solar gain so leading with spatial brief to the form so that rooms had ideal views out to the various vistas in the greater site.

Opposite the entry door is a grand glass stair, part of the 'jewellery', Vaughan coins, in this House of Glass. Sitting area is to the West with large fireplace and views in all the right directions framed; to North a window frames the church tower, of St Peter and St Paul, the doors break to garden directly West and the large glazing double height faces the private courtyard with a water wall opposite. Left of the entry is the kitchen with enclosed utility, a dining space adjacent further free-flowing space to a Family TV room. Tis connects by stair down to the garage outside. Adjacent is the downstairs cloakroom and store areas, further stairs up to the other half of the roof areas. This stair breaks open to the quieter Library and Study areas with views to West and good lighting from the South.

Note the large sculpted curved corners, easily created with the foamed glass and rendered materials, not easy to achieve in more traditional masonry materials.

The external garage is low set in the landscape to lessen impact and make access to a more functional green roof as part of tiered garden space, with growing areas for herbs.

The First Floor Plan.

One can see the interesting individual floor plans to each space and room. The main stair has a high void gallery facing South, so would be flooded with direct light making the glass stair sparkle.

This leads to the Master Bedroom suite with balcony to the West views and large Bedroom 2. ensuite with internal enclosed balcony. The gallery landing has a large airing walk-in, airing and laundry store with the thermal store water tank, part of the energy efficiency systems.

Stair two leads to two further bedroom ensuites, both similarly have balconies.

In general this is a unique building in construction, truly ground-breaking in the use of glass products. In design form it uses the material in convenient ways to introduce 'feminine' curves adding to the over-all amoebic plan form. Yet the roof would naturally fit into the conservation area, although with asymmetric ridge lines that would give it a much greater dynamic visually. The variety of space in form and shape, would give many contemplative moments as the space free-flows from area to area, with views and vistas in all directions and as the sun moves around the building it shall enliven from surprising quarters. Jewellery included with sculptural glass staircase would give a Hollywood touch of class and the use of glass the surface finishes sparkling in both sunlight and at night in electric light would make this home very special. Bling elements add to the character so this gem of a design stands out.

Vaughan says "We have to grasp opportunities to explore unique ways forward when we perceive ideas that are valuable". He has not lost sight of the student dreams or were they just for students, here with experience in greater practice turning to realities. Vaughan designed his first glass stair back in 1994 for a rather special barn conversion in Sussex, where he first used the idea of building having jewellery. There he inserted slag glass into mortar joints on choice parts such as the wonderful chimney stack, which indeed sparkles in the light, one of a number of clever uses of glass and glass products in a conservation conversion but never without appropriateness. Vaughan is keen to stress "Good design should not be a forced response. The better designs grow out of a natural resolution. Look to nature, it shows the way".

It would be wonderful if this scheme is persued by the owner, a true gem.

Miranda Reedman