Glass House in South Africa

Nico Van Der Meulen Architects are the proud architects of a gleaming residential structure in Johannesburg, South Africa, that has used glass extensively. More than 70 percent of the construction material used is glass. This glass house covers an area of about 4000sq.m, with a total floor area of 2500sq.m.

The south side of this glass house is semi-circular in shape, forming a horse shoe on the north side. One side of the house is a fully suspended glass and steel structure. A stainless steel and glass staircase is suspended over a heated pond which acts as temperature stabilizer in summer and as a giant heater in winter. A glass window to the dinning room is a 6m high curved enclosure. A frameless sliding glass door starts at the dinning room, and stretches nearly 70m around the dinning room, family room, indoor pool and gym.

An atrium between one of the bedrooms and the kitchen ventilates and cools the glass house naturally, without compromising on security – there is a rolling shutter door that drops down automatically when the burglar alarm is activated. This cuts access to the top floor from the ground floor. The walls of the bedrooms room and the bar are sprinkled with marble strips, with glass inlay and LED strip lights. The main bathroom is fully glazed.

The North and East-facing walls are also of glass and can slide open, and automatic blinds lowered for privacy. The doubly-glazed enclosure over the pool can be opened from the balcony outside the children’s bedrooms. The basement has parking slots for about 12 cars with a view into the pool.

Nico Van Der Meulen Architects have indeed set a new standard for outstanding architecture.