The Glasshouse - Softcover

Hix, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0714845256 ISBN 13: 9780714845258

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2005

'The Glasshouse' traces the evolution of the glass building from its humble hothouse beginnings to the climate-controlled, high-tech structures of the 20th-century.

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Review:

'Well illustrated with photographs, plans, sections and etchings, the book is primarily a tribute to the wonderful glass palaces of the past. As such, it's a clear winner.' (House & Garden)

'A beautiful and comprehensive study.' (Perspectives on Architecture)

'This is a beautiful book which, illustrated by modern colour photographs and contemporary engravings, succeeds in being both "coffee-table" and scholarly.' (Architects' Journal)

'Wonderful, and abounding with insights for gardeners and architectural connoisseurs alike, historians, and anyone who's wondered how it happens that, at lunch hour on a sunny day, the downtown canyons of almost any North American city sing with the sharp spears of light whizzing from pane to mirrored pane.' (Globe & Mail (Toronto))

'The Glasshouse is well researched and accessible, illustrated with hundreds of historic prints and contemporary photographs. Besides being a fascinating read, it’s a book that could sit proudly on any thinking gardener’s coffee table.' (Gardens Illustrated)

'Very lavishly and elegantly illustrated, and smartly, but not overly designed...' (The Art Book)

'Set to appear on all good coffee tables.' (Wallpaper*)

Synopsis:

When John Ruskin attempted to disparage the Crystal Palace by referring to it as 'a great cucumber frame', he hit upon a truism. The Crystal Palace outdid its Victorian glasshouse contemporaries in public gardens around the world and represented the zenith of a building type that had developed spectacularly from humble horticultural roots. The Glasshouse traces the evolution of glass enclosures from the mid-seventeenth century when the desire to nurture exotic plants in a foreign and often hostile climate led to the development of the glasshouse and ingenious mechanical servicing systems, capable of creating its own artificial microclimate. Through tremendous technical advances in the early nineteenth century, large-scale constructions were built initially for private individuals and botanical societies. Towards the mid-century, with the advent of mass-production and specialist component systems, the fashioning of modular constructions, like the Crystal Palace, became possible. The Glasshouse charts the work of innovators such as Joseph Paxton and J C Loudon, and proceeds to examine their influence on the pioneers of twentieth-century design such as Paul Scheerbart and Bruno Taut.

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