Following in the footsteps of Mies van der Rohe & Philip Johnson, swissFineLine allows designers to realise highly ambitious glass houses
Ever since architectural icon Philip Johnson presented his Glass House in 1949, design enthusiasts have dreamed in glass, with visions of homes that offer unencumbered views – a 360° panorama characterised by light-filled spaces and cubic forms. Whether a glass house follows Johnson’s celebrated design with no solid exterior walls or opts instead a few strong, opaque walls surrounded by fine glass architecture essentially depends on how much transparency a client is willing to let into their life.
Glass technology has taken significant strides forward since Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House and Johnson’s Glass House, which means we now benefit from considerable architectural freedom.
In truth, Edith Farnsworth considered her glass house uninhabitable. Among her complaints were the fixed glass walls, which made it almost impossible to ventilate the house and caused it to become unbearably hot in summer.
By contrast, the sliding windows from swissFineLine offer unbelievable architectural freedom. They enable glass façades to open along the entire breadth of a building.
From glazed villas and weekend homes to extensions opening onto a garden or a second living room at the other end of the property, the possibilities are more wide-ranging than ever before.
The minimal use of load-bearing components in glass houses and pavilions places enormous demands on the materials used. The windows in particular have a vital role to play and must cover the largest possible dimensions while minimising their weight – and combine that with maximum structural stability.
Sliding windows from swissFineLine are available in sizes up to 25m² per element and offer exceptional freedom when designing construction projects.
Cubic forms, rectilinear flat roofs and a sense of weightlessness are core characteristics of outstanding glass house architecture. Window elements from swissFineLine feature the perfect blend of minimalist design and a sense of lightness.
The narrow, concealed aluminium edging around the frameless windows allows the glass panes to merge almost seamlessly. The slide rails integrated in the floor and ceiling also appear to remove the thresholds between spaces.
Modern chalet architecture combines home comfort with luxury and exclusive panoramic views.
