Glass in architecture

Abstract

"Glass brings us the new age. Brick culture does us only harm." This statement made by Expressionist poet Paul Scheerbart when referring to Bruno Taut's Glass Pavilion at the 1914 Werkbund Exhibition, gives a glimpse of the passion that several of the Expressionists felt on the subject of glass. Mies van der Rohe was part of the Expressionist movement, and two of his early skyscraper projects prophesised the immense potential of this material. Glass has an extraordinary quality which enables it to render an outside wall visually non-existent, when compared to walls made of other materials such as stone, concrete or metal. This report firstly describes the development of and use of glass as an architectural material from its inception to the present day. It provides an insight into the different types and unique properties of glass and glazing systems which make them such a desirable feature of architectural design within multi-storied buildings. It further discusses some of the "state of the art" glass and glazing systems undergoing development overseas, and concludes by discussing New Zealand's current status in the glass and glazing systems used today in multi-storied buildings. Finally, it examines some of the reasons for the stage that New Zealand has reached.