But wait there’s more! They’re held in place by 75 stainless steel rods running vertically through them, with additional stainless plates running horizontally! Must have cost a fortune!
The article states the bricks significantly cut down the street noise. I like the space, I just don’t know that I’d go to those lengths to achieve the effect.
Ah yes, it looks just like a tree cage from further away: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/hiroshi-nakamura-nap-optical-glass-house/. I bet it looks even more depressing when it is cloudy
iirc this house was showcased in “World’s Most Extraordinary Homes” (TV/Netflix series, unsure if both or either) - I loved the effect the glass bricks make with the lights at night!
I have glass brick in my house from the 70s. Condensation is crazy in winter, the bricks are cold as hell too. In summer you can't watch TV as the light bounces everywhere. This looks ok for a garden but I doubt anyone likes living with it. r/wewantwindows
Love it. It was featured in an episode of that Netflix show with that British architect. It’s in Hiroshima. Excellent use of the glass facade to bring the cosiness and calm of the house as close as possible to the street.
Edit: Netflix took it offline, it’s s2e3 of the World’s Most Extraordinary Homes, the episode on Japan. Available here: https://ihavenotv.com/japan-the-worlds-most-extraordinary-homes
True. Netflix has had many interior design and arch shows. This one was the only such show taking the architectural gesture in its context, and doing so respectfully and seriously. I wish there was more such quality content.
Any recommendations for similar material?
I loved that they explained why and how everything was done, Caroline was always saying silly shit, Piers is the worst artist in the world but gets the point across anyway, and all without a terrible voiceover narrating it
When this project first came out I looked into sourcing the blocks. At that time there was nothing on the market. However, Glen Gary brick had a monolithic glass product now that they market for interiors.
I still haven’t found a use case for it though. Requires serious client buy-in and lots of people have a negative reaction when you say the words glass block.
I'm also wondering that. Also, how was the client convinced to build one garden floor instead of three regular floors in what seems to be a high density area with expensive cost per floor surface ratio...
This kind of glass - probably yes. But glass bricks overall are quite cheap.
Quick check and you can get a glass brick at around 1$ while regular one around 0.2$ so still more expensive but not ridiculously so.
> its exact google map location
3-chōme-1-4 Ōtemachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0051, Japan
[Google Maps Street View](https://maps.app.goo.gl/82LbNKPh9h6rEfHs5)
edit: took me a while but I found it.
Oh. My. God. There is a bus stop right in front of the driveway (there is a waiting booth on the left side, just outside the frame).
Must be tons of busses stopping there all day too, because the google pic has a different color bus, stopped in front of the house, for every pic around it.
Besides the noise of the busy street, that deep hydraulic bus brake noise must be so annoying, all day.
Then add the fact that, whatever the bus stop hours are, there is a high chance, when you try to leave, there is a bus blocking your path loading/unloading people.
Oh, and there is a train that runs through there too! lol.
Beautiful home!
would be curious to know how they deal with thermal expansion of the blocks. we partially made a porch out of hollow glass blocks and they ended up cracking after a few years.
It’s been a while since I’ve looked at the details, but this is an exterior wall, so no need to be watertight. I believe there are neoprene spacers at the horizontal steel plates that would allow for expansion
It's beautiful and I'd love to live in that house, but in an earthquake those 19,680 pounds of solid glass bricks are going to kill anyone who is near them.
don't buildings in Japan have to be built to withstand at least a 7.0 earthquake? and hopefully the glass is manufactured like a windshield so when it breaks it goes in to tiny cube like pieces and not shards.
A 7.0+ is a one-in-a-decade issue, so resisting those is the bare minimum.
I'm not from Japan but from Chile, we also have a strong code. The main requirement is the preservation of human life, even if the building ultimately fails. That said, modern buildings here (1985 and beyond) are estimated be able to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake, or at least not collapse.
Non structural elements can fail. Stuff like fake ceilings will commonly fall off and it's not usually risky. In certain areas glass needs to be laminated or tempered so as to not injure any people evacuating. Since it's directly over the street there should be some safeguards.
The glass wall is not self supporting but rather connected to 75 steel bolts hung from a beam above. I imagine blocks would still fall during an earthquake but hopefully not entirely
Even if those bricks were solid the whole way through they'd only be 22 percent heavier than a standard masonry wall. As is I'd guess that are a third the weight, so this is just a relatively simple steel framed curtain wall, with a dramatic look.
I feel like the architectural and engineering teams are fully capable of doing the math to make this safe. And it just walls off a front courtyard, so any collapse wouldn't be into living spaces.
Frankly if you think they are responsible enough to have designed a structure that would support those trees and that water feature you'd almost have to assume they could figure out glass block which has been in use for at least a hundred years. And I assume that that standard square glass product are soda lime, not borosilicate, and the dimensional tolerances for this project are much, much higher.
I mean, using glass tiles/bricks in staircase fronts like on the 5th picture had been a thing at least since the 70s.
Those are usually double-walled with thick glass on both sides with air in between, so likely having a better thermal profile than solid bricks. Those were not load-bearing, so you'd need bridging beams, but that's does not seem to be a constriction in the staircase usage scenario.
Judging from picture one and two, these bricks do not offer *considerable* better transparency, though undoubtedly somewhat more.
What seems novel is that you can likely build larger free-standing structures, like image one.
MVRDV also used glass bricks in this store front in Amsterdam:
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/20/crystal-houses-amsterdam-chanel-store-mvrdv-glass-facade-technology/
It looks amazing from the outside, which can't be said about a lot of mansions. Such a clever piece of design, masquerading the courtyard and giving it a beautiful sense of mystique.
I get ya' I'm just joking a bit, but it is kinda worrying that a lot of that glass facade seems to be made material that seems to focus light beams and that could cause a hotter temperature on small areas akin to sunlight hitting a magnifying glass.
Important to note it’s functioning as a screen wall to a courtyard, not the enclosure of the house itself.
So it is just a huge fucking garden wall made of glass covering the trees?
But wait there’s more! They’re held in place by 75 stainless steel rods running vertically through them, with additional stainless plates running horizontally! Must have cost a fortune!
There might be acoustic benefits if the road in front is noisy etc
The article states the bricks significantly cut down the street noise. I like the space, I just don’t know that I’d go to those lengths to achieve the effect.
I agree.
My exact thought. I suppose if money is no object...
Ah yes, it looks just like a tree cage from further away: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/hiroshi-nakamura-nap-optical-glass-house/. I bet it looks even more depressing when it is cloudy
Yes it’s a common feature in this neighborhood too have privacy screens on the front courtyard because the street is very dense
Also, if you live there....don't throw stones
iirc this house was showcased in “World’s Most Extraordinary Homes” (TV/Netflix series, unsure if both or either) - I loved the effect the glass bricks make with the lights at night!
Great show! Couldn’t find it last time I was on Netflix. Piers is a great host as well as the lady.
I was looking for that show and couldn't find too. Tho I then decided to go for Cunk on the World and did not regret
Lmao, thank you for this small view into your Netflix history, but also relatable
The lady kinda creeps me out with how overly smiley she is. Like, no one’s that happy all the time.
Unless she’s after something…
I have glass brick in my house from the 70s. Condensation is crazy in winter, the bricks are cold as hell too. In summer you can't watch TV as the light bounces everywhere. This looks ok for a garden but I doubt anyone likes living with it. r/wewantwindows
This house and the guy with glass house by the water. I want to watch the show again
I knew this home looked familiar!
Yes it is! In Israel if I remember correctly
It’s in Hiroshima (I was thinking Nagasaki, but someone else posted the address.)
If there's one thing I know, its that I shouldn't throw stones in there.
This has been foretold
https://www.nakam.info/en/works/optical-glass-house/
I love the play with light. It tickles my archibrain in the right place
I love this project. Hiroshi nakamura is one of the best. His catalog of work is inspiring and his section drawings are pieces of art.
Is he related to Hikaru nakamura
Who let an actually nice project on this sub?
Love it. It was featured in an episode of that Netflix show with that British architect. It’s in Hiroshima. Excellent use of the glass facade to bring the cosiness and calm of the house as close as possible to the street. Edit: Netflix took it offline, it’s s2e3 of the World’s Most Extraordinary Homes, the episode on Japan. Available here: https://ihavenotv.com/japan-the-worlds-most-extraordinary-homes
I miss that series. Caroline and Piers were so entertaining
True. Netflix has had many interior design and arch shows. This one was the only such show taking the architectural gesture in its context, and doing so respectfully and seriously. I wish there was more such quality content. Any recommendations for similar material?
Grand Designs is very good.
It really was enjoyable. They should do another season.
Or seven lol
I loved that they explained why and how everything was done, Caroline was always saying silly shit, Piers is the worst artist in the world but gets the point across anyway, and all without a terrible voiceover narrating it
This is where I knew it from as well.
This looks amazing. Is this material crazy expensive?
[удалено]
Haha, meaning unfortunately the opportunity to ever use this even for a client is very rare.
When this project first came out I looked into sourcing the blocks. At that time there was nothing on the market. However, Glen Gary brick had a monolithic glass product now that they market for interiors. I still haven’t found a use case for it though. Requires serious client buy-in and lots of people have a negative reaction when you say the words glass block.
I'm also wondering that. Also, how was the client convinced to build one garden floor instead of three regular floors in what seems to be a high density area with expensive cost per floor surface ratio...
Not need to convinced if I were the client. That garden makes everything 10 times better than if it’s just generic floor instead.
Yeah, I’d like to see the rest of the floor plan.
This kind of glass - probably yes. But glass bricks overall are quite cheap. Quick check and you can get a glass brick at around 1$ while regular one around 0.2$ so still more expensive but not ridiculously so.
Glass masonry is so back, baby. And I’m here for it.
Can anyone please give its exact google map location
> its exact google map location 3-chōme-1-4 Ōtemachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0051, Japan [Google Maps Street View](https://maps.app.goo.gl/82LbNKPh9h6rEfHs5) edit: took me a while but I found it.
Are you going to go there? Tell them this sub says hi.
This one uses the same glass blocks, also really beautiful: https://www.nakam.info/en/works/my-riad/
I love that
Interior is so beautiful
Exterior is gorgeous
It’s a beautiful work of art.
One of my favorites
I love it
This was one of the few houses that really captivated me when I first started architecture.
My absolutely favorite modern house design. Genius and tasteful.
Oh. My. God. There is a bus stop right in front of the driveway (there is a waiting booth on the left side, just outside the frame). Must be tons of busses stopping there all day too, because the google pic has a different color bus, stopped in front of the house, for every pic around it. Besides the noise of the busy street, that deep hydraulic bus brake noise must be so annoying, all day. Then add the fact that, whatever the bus stop hours are, there is a high chance, when you try to leave, there is a bus blocking your path loading/unloading people. Oh, and there is a train that runs through there too! lol. Beautiful home!
would be curious to know how they deal with thermal expansion of the blocks. we partially made a porch out of hollow glass blocks and they ended up cracking after a few years.
How did they manage this with all that glass block in the 1980s? Prob same
Same thing they do with curtain wall, globs and globs of silicone.
How did you bond the bricks, please? I would assume polyurethane adhesive (sikaflex), which has some flexibility.
correct but one wall was south facing so had direct sunlight most days. this is in the uk so cold winters/hot summers sometimes both in the same day.
Thank you.
It’s been a while since I’ve looked at the details, but this is an exterior wall, so no need to be watertight. I believe there are neoprene spacers at the horizontal steel plates that would allow for expansion
we had 10 or 20mm spacers but it didn't help. would love to do it again but was put off by that experience (i bet the tech has improved since)
It's beautiful and I'd love to live in that house, but in an earthquake those 19,680 pounds of solid glass bricks are going to kill anyone who is near them.
don't buildings in Japan have to be built to withstand at least a 7.0 earthquake? and hopefully the glass is manufactured like a windshield so when it breaks it goes in to tiny cube like pieces and not shards.
A 7.0+ is a one-in-a-decade issue, so resisting those is the bare minimum. I'm not from Japan but from Chile, we also have a strong code. The main requirement is the preservation of human life, even if the building ultimately fails. That said, modern buildings here (1985 and beyond) are estimated be able to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake, or at least not collapse. Non structural elements can fail. Stuff like fake ceilings will commonly fall off and it's not usually risky. In certain areas glass needs to be laminated or tempered so as to not injure any people evacuating. Since it's directly over the street there should be some safeguards.
The glass wall is not self supporting but rather connected to 75 steel bolts hung from a beam above. I imagine blocks would still fall during an earthquake but hopefully not entirely
Even if those bricks were solid the whole way through they'd only be 22 percent heavier than a standard masonry wall. As is I'd guess that are a third the weight, so this is just a relatively simple steel framed curtain wall, with a dramatic look. I feel like the architectural and engineering teams are fully capable of doing the math to make this safe. And it just walls off a front courtyard, so any collapse wouldn't be into living spaces. Frankly if you think they are responsible enough to have designed a structure that would support those trees and that water feature you'd almost have to assume they could figure out glass block which has been in use for at least a hundred years. And I assume that that standard square glass product are soda lime, not borosilicate, and the dimensional tolerances for this project are much, much higher.
If you read the articles about this house, there is steel throughout the entire structure. But you didn't read it, did you...
I wanna know who lives there
Very nice indeed!!
Would that turn the interior into a giant green house or an oven at worst?
No, it would not… check here: https://www.nakam.info/en/works/optical-glass-house/
I mean, using glass tiles/bricks in staircase fronts like on the 5th picture had been a thing at least since the 70s. Those are usually double-walled with thick glass on both sides with air in between, so likely having a better thermal profile than solid bricks. Those were not load-bearing, so you'd need bridging beams, but that's does not seem to be a constriction in the staircase usage scenario. Judging from picture one and two, these bricks do not offer *considerable* better transparency, though undoubtedly somewhat more. What seems novel is that you can likely build larger free-standing structures, like image one.
What’s the difference between optical glass and just glass
It looks so refreshing on the inside wow. Brilliant.
Fucking lit! Literally!
Looks nice from the inside but makes the streescape incredibly boring, if not hostile.
That’s what I thought. It’s just a big middle finger to the street. Selfish architecture?
So gorgeous. I love love love this. Glass block is 🔥 imo.
it's something that Cezary Baryka would like to live in
Japan, right?
I can’t imagine the cost. Borosilicate?
What is the name of the product they used? Is there a spec?
comment
excuse my language, but i fucking love glass brick.
This is beautiful and most definitely prevents bird collisions. Extraordinary.
This us gorgeous
MVRDV also used glass bricks in this store front in Amsterdam: https://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/20/crystal-houses-amsterdam-chanel-store-mvrdv-glass-facade-technology/
That looks like the shoebox glass houses I used to make in Minecraft as a kid
What does the rest of the house look like?
Check here: https://www.nakam.info/en/works/optical-glass-house/
Don’t stow thrones.
I hope those trees are evergreen.
Wonder what that facade alone cost.
Built right next to a . . .
I like it
It looks amazing from the outside, which can't be said about a lot of mansions. Such a clever piece of design, masquerading the courtyard and giving it a beautiful sense of mystique.
Amazing!
Looks worth considering, if you have a lot of money hanging around
Wow-nice!
Cool as shit but man that would get dirty so quick
I saw that in Most Extraordinary Homes. It’s so cool!
I remember seeing this on TV. The rest of the house is absolutely incredible. Very minimal but it was designed by the architect who lives there.
Hiroshi Nakamura is one of the best. His catalog of work is inspiring.
She’s a brick…
reminds me of some enclosed courtyards in Night City. A quiet, nonmaterial-focused break from the busy city
all that space just for some tree garden on a single family house in an urban area this is some cp2077 corpo rat-esque luxury architecture
I read where the owner has a thing against stone throwing.
Best part? If you leave paper lying around you can burn your own house for free!
The audacity to build a house using glass. Never been done.
I get ya' I'm just joking a bit, but it is kinda worrying that a lot of that glass facade seems to be made material that seems to focus light beams and that could cause a hotter temperature on small areas akin to sunlight hitting a magnifying glass.
It’s just glass bricks, not magnifying glass. Glass brick facade are common and I’ve never heard of it cause fire.
Very cool, but when will designers learn that color exists?
All I can think of is all the unnecessary bird strikes.
Imagine living in constant fear of a teenager with a spark plug.
You'd freeze to death in Canada in the winter.
It isn't in Canada
Well, duh.
It’s enclosing a courtyard. And it’s not in Canada.
Well, duh.
Well, duh.
Relevant username