April_1970 — Page 40

Living under glass

1970

4

PEOPLE who live in glass houses live better than those who hide behind stone walls. This is the credo of two young Danish architects who have pro- duced a design for a highly untradi- tional house.

Their glass house promises a per- petual summer climate for the occu- pants at half the price, it is claimed, of a conventional structure of the same

size.

Designed by Ib and Jorgen Rasmus- sen for a competition sponsored by the Copenhagen newspaper, Politiken, the house meets the need for a flexible form of accommodation created by rising living standards and shorter working hours.

Inside a standard greenhouse of the

type used for vegetable and flower growing, the architects have installed room elements providing all the func tions of a normal house. The glass 'climate shield' still leaves room for a swimming pool, barbeque, garden and other leisure facilities.

Vines and other plants are grown under the shield and these. together with the extensive cold surfaces of the glass shield, are said to promote an optimal ion balance in the enclosed at- mosphere under the shield. Ion balance is vital for asthma patients and im- portant too for people without respira- tory troubles.

The more natural climate provided under the glass is important, the archi- tects point out, referring to a thesis published recently in Denmark by Doctors Beckgaard, Bonnevie and Lambert which reported that most of the populations in latitudes similar to Denmark's normally spend less than one hour a day outdoors, apart from holiday periods.

Lightweight elements

For residents, a main advantage is that as housing requirements change over the years, rooms can be added, re- moved or enlarged at little expense. The lightweight elements used can be installed or removed by members of the family without calling in contrac-

tors.

Climate shield house lightweight and flexible

36

Far East BUILDER, April 1970

Page 40Page 41