Glass Structures: Design and Construction of Self-supporting Skins

by Jan Wurm

Flat glass opens up more possibilities for the planner than virtually any other material. Because of the technological complexity of using it, however, no specific structural forms have been developed for glass supporting frameworks as they have been for wood, concrete, and steel. This book is thus the first to present a coherent guide to the planning and design of glass supporting frameworks. The focus is on the pressure-resistant, flat supporting element as a basic building block for broad supporting structures. The spatial and constructive forms of multifunctional, self-supporting glass envelopes are vividly illustrated and systematically explained. The constructions presented exhibit new aesthetic qualities, based not on the dictum of "dematerialization” but on the poetry of gleaming and transparent planes. They ring in a new chapter in the history of glass architecture.

255 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2003

Reviews

[Eryani N. Yulita]

Pretty detail in explaining anything about glass structures. The images supported and matched the explanations, so it is easier to understand. But, rather than focusing about types of glasses based on the manufacturing process, I would like to know more about the type and the advanced technology of glass development in building constructions, especially for contemporary architecture.