Popular post: 10 glass buildings of outstanding innovation. by HNG Float Glass.

1. POPULAR POST: 10
GLASS BUILDINGS OF
OUTSTANDING
INNOVATION

2.  “Architecture is the art of how to waste space.”
 when it comes to glass – one of the most beautiful,
extravagant, and perhaps underrated materials –
inspiration appears to flow freely.
 This creativity needs to be celebrated, so here is a
countdown of the 10 most inspiring glass buildings
in the world…

3. 30 ST MARY AXE, LONDON, UK (2003)
 This building, more
commonly known as ‘The
Gherkin’ was built in 2003
and designed by Norman
Foster. The Gherkin has
very quickly become a
celebrated design in the UK.
It has catapulted itself into
London’s business heart
and is instantly recognisable
by its shape. This tower
uses energy efficient
methods, using half the
amount of power that similar
sized buildings would use.

4. GAS NATURAL HQ, BARCELONA, SPAIN
(2005)
 This building stands
out as one of the tallest
buildings in Spain. It
has an innovative
design with blocks
protruding from the
sides. Built in 2005, it
houses the Gas
Natural Headquarters.

5. THE GREAT GLASS HOUSE,
CARMARTHENSHIRE, WALES (2000)
 Designed by Norman
Foster and Partners the
structure was built
between 1995 and
2000. It is the largest
single span glass house
in the world and looks
like a gigantic water drop
on Wales’ landscape. The
Great Glass House
became the centrepiece
for the National Botanic
Garden in Wales.

6. REICHSTAG DOME, BERLIN, GERMANY
(1999)
 This glass dome provides a
360 degree view over the
city of Berlin and is situated
on top of the
Reichstag. Berlin is one of
the most interesting cities
for architecture. Old
buildings are preserved and
share space with building’s
of contemporary design, so
despite the Reichstag
Dome’s unusual look, it still
manages to work in this
once war-torn city, where
the landscape is as diverse
as its history.

7. THE FARNSWORTH HOUSE, CHICAGO, USA
(1951) – CAN YOU SEE THE GLASS?
 Designed by celebrated
architect Ludwig Mies
van de Rohe, what’s
most spectacular about
this house is the true
transparency
throughout. This simple
yet breath-taking design
was supposed to
represent Mies Van de
Rohe’s personality and
embody true modernist
architecture.

8. LOUVRE PYRAMID (PYRAMIDE DU LOUVRE),
PARIS, FRANCE (1989)
 This is the main entrance to
the famous Louvre
museum, designed by
architect I. M. Pei. Not only
does it serve the purpose of
welcoming the museum
guests, but structurally it
distributes the weight of the
flood of daily visitors
evenly. The structure was
built with this in mind, and
commissioned because the
previous entrance couldn’t
withstand the weight much
longe

9. HOTEL W, 2009, BARCELONA, SPAIN
 This gigantic sail-shaped
hotel was designed by the
architect Ricardo Bofill and
is situated on Barcelona’s
coastline. Finished in 2009,
it’s already become a
landmark. This
contemporary building
seems somewhat out of
place on the beach,
however its concept is
admirable because of its
shape and the way it
reflects the sea around the
building.

10. THE DANCING HOUSE, PRAGUE, CZECH
REPUBLIC (1996)
 A controversial concept at the
time, the building, which was
designed by Vlado Milunić, is
an homage to Fred Astaire
and Ginger Rogers and was
formerly called ‘Fred and
Ginger’. The building looks
oddly warped as it represents
the two actors dancing. It is
also known as ‘The Drunk
House’ and has become an
attraction due to its
strangeness and stark
contrast to the old and
stunning buildings of Prague

11. WORLD TRADE CENTRE, MANAMA,
BAHRAIN (2008)
 The towers, designed by
architectural firm Atkins
are not only remarkable
structurally, but they also
have the environmentally
beneficial bonus of
creating energy through
wind turbines placed on
each of the three
skybridges between the
towers. The clever
positioning of glass
panes on the sides gives
the illusion of hollowness.

12. NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS,
BEJING, CHINA (2007)
 This architecturally stunning
design was built in 2007
and designed by French
architect Paul Andreu. It is
known among natives as
‘The Bird Egg’ – the titanium
and glass building is
surrounded by an artificial
lake, making the dome
appear like as an oval
shape at first glance. In the
architectural world, this is
considered a masterpiece
and I fully agree

13. THANK YOU 