The Glasshouse

The Glasshouse traces the evolution of the building type back to antiquity and goes on to describe developments in the sixteenth century when houses and orangeries were first constructed in glass. The history continues into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when increasingly complex structures were built incorporating iron and industrial construction techniques. The contribution of innovators such as Joseph Paxton and J C Loudon is charted and their influence on the pioneers of twentieth-century design such as Paul Scheerbart and Bruno Taut is examined.

- Traces the evolution of the glass building from its humble hothouse beginnings to the climate-controlled, high-tech structures of the 20th century
- A wide range of horticultural and other building types, including early 16th-century orangeries and examples from the 18th and 19th centuries when increasingly more complex structures, incorporating iron and industrial construction techniques
- Charts the contributions of innovators such as Joseph Paxton and John C Loudon and their influence on pioneers of 20th-century design such as Paul Scheerbart and Bruno Taut
- Illustrated with a wide selection of archival and contemporary photographs, etchings and lithographs