AMERICA’S GLASS HOUSE

Hokitika Guardian, 13 April 1929, Page 8

AMERICA’S GLASS HOUSE

IM'l LDING INNOVATION

HAN FRANCISCO. March U

Another ban has been lifted—those who live in glasshouses now may throw stones, even “say it” with brickbats if they feel like it.

Fly Jacques Kalin, New York architect, is about to build the first glasshouse in the United States, and it will rise atop of the Pinatid Building in New York, a city which considers it essential to ‘lick creation’ hi anything “Glass bricks will he the sole building materials.” Kahn declared, “except narrow tubes of reinforced concrete and rods. 'I lie entire* walls "id l o composed ol glass bricks less than six inches square, each unit being erected of two pieces, slightly concave on the inner side to provide air space for insulating purposes.” These units joined will make a wall one and seven-eights inches thick. Ihe architect predicts all sorts (A health virtues fiom the glass wall, h rom the purely engineering point of view it would In* possible for the house to have no windows at all, with an pumped in and out. hut as a (omission to h'iniaii psychology, windows are provided. The occupants will live no gold-fish existence. Their privacy is assured because the house, altough translu-,-pnt. will not be transparent-, and thus falls the more modern adage: “IVonle who live in glasshouses should pull down the blinds.” “From the practical point of view.” said the architect, “the advantages of living in glasshouses are main tlu*\ are easy to keep up. simple of construction. and the value of sunlight is greatly increased by its difitision through prisms formed hv the glass moulds. A greater volume of light more agreeably distributed, is assured And instead of being a fragile abode the glass domicile will lie K) Limes as strong as an ordinary brick structure. “Aesthetically considered, too, this new type of building oilers great possibilities. The glass may he moulded into a variety of forms, permitting the artist to make interesting patterns in his wall surfaces. The outside effecl can he, so dazzling that Nature may well consider she has lost another round to art and science. The initial cost of a glasshouse undoubtedly will ho greater than that oP a stone or frame habitation. Kalin pointed out, but tlie cost of upkeep is less, and the initial outlay is more than offset liv the beneficial properties of the glass in admitting light and retaining heat. Although this is the first glasshouse to he built in America such structures have been tremendously successful in Germany, both from a point of beauty and of utility.

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