My glass house in the sky satisfies the timeless desire for infinite space in the dense metropolis. It is a reaction against the dream of suburbia; rather than abandoning the city and re-creating an artificial urban experience outside it, the house addresses the city by existing both within and above it. With minimal adjustments to the roofs of existing buildings, these penthouses could be located almost anywhere, on high-rise or low-rise buildings. They would act as illuminated beacons, celebrating domesticity and everyday life by elevating them to the status of ephemeral monuments. The houses would also make great observation points for the spectacle of the city below.

The architecture of the house plays on an opposition between its industrial-looking rectangular envelope and the lush curvature inside, with velvet or silk curtains, rounded and polished composite surfaces and translucent glass. The services and circulation of the house are contained in an undulating sandwich wall that also helps define the living spaces. The wall expands and folds back on itself, enclosing spaces for privacy and opening to allow rooms to flow continuously into one another. It provides a subconscious for the house, adjusting to the specific desires of the users. Sliding partitions and curtains can also create room separations, allowing for more privacy.

Bathrooms are contained in a large "wet" wall that extends through the house. This wall's surface, made of a composite of glass and resin, changes between transparency and opacity. Running parallel to it is a "digital" wall that can be used as a projection screen, conveying blown-up views of the occupants' everyday life. Should the residents of the house prefer more conventional privacy, digital messages could be projected on this wall, ranging from advertising slogans to exhibitions of the owners' video-art collection. Tired of sitting in the living room? Don't get up; just change the picture on the wall.

Bernard Tschumi is dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture and head of Bernard Tschumi Architects

END

PAGE  1  |  2