Glass facades in modern architecture: 5 incredible examples
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Some of the world's most amazing buildings feature glass facades. Discover 5 of the best in the world.
Here at ToughGlaze, we're passionate about the versatility of glass.
Glass products exist on a spectrum: at one end is function and at the other end is beauty. Between those two poles, anything is possible.
Glass can be
coloured,
textured, curved,
printed, smoothed. It can be used to make everything from tiny beads to
massive bridges. Look around any city and you'll soon be reminded of its awesome aesthetic potential.
This is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the world of
structural glazing. Today's glass bridges, skyscrapers and facades are remarkable feats of engineering – and despite their ubiquity, they still have the power to take your breath away.
In this article, we take a look at five of the world's most incredible glass facades. We hope it gives you some inspiration!
1. The Villa Tugendhat, Brno, Czechia
Located in Brno, the second largest city in Czechia, the Villa Tugendhat is a three-floor villa steeped in history.
It was built between 1928 and 1930 for the wealthy Tugendhat family. But this was no ordinary residential project. Designed by the German architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, the villa's use of space and materials got it onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.
Among other innovations, the villa features a glass facade that can be retracted into the floor – "as if by magic", it's been
said.
All in all, the villa more than satisfies Grete Tugendhat's
wish for "a modern spacious house with clear and simple shapes".
It's a building, however, that's as luxurious as it's "clear and simple". Take the Mottenkammer, a purpose-built moth-resistant room where the Tugendhats could keep their fur coats!
2. White Block Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
White Block Gallery is a 1,500-metre-square exhibition space in Seoul's Heyri Art Valley. It includes a range of artworks, including sculptures, paintings and multimedia installations.
The building itself is a work of art, with a fritted glass facade that the project team describe as "[taking] on more figural volumes to create areas of privacy and publicity" and "[merging] with the patterns of early morning fog".
Fritting is a glass processing technique. A powdered mixture of glass and other materials called "frit" is adhered to the surface of the glass to give it a fine texture.
In the case of White Block Gallery, this fritting effect is frosty and foggy, helping the steel-framed building to blend with its lakeside surroundings.
Seoul is also home to a plethora of impressive glass facades – from the pale-coloured Lotte Tower to the multifaceted, wraparound Galleria Department Store.
3. The Henderson, Hong Kong, China
The Henderson is a 36-floor, 190-metre-high skyscraper in Central, Hong Kong. At the time of writing, its tenants include the auction house Christie's and luxury watch brand Audemars Piguet.
The building has an astonishing curved glass facade that's meant to recall the Bauhinia flower. Also known as the Hong Kong orchid tree, the Bauhinia is a symbol of Hong Kong, featuring on its flag, coins and coat of arms.
Made of more than 4,000 double-laminated curved glass panels, the building has an organic, fluted appearance that immediately communicates luxury and style.
Other incredible glass facades in Hong Kong include the K11 MUSEA, Two Taikoo Place and the Apple Retail Store on Canton Road.
4. The Shard, London, UK
The London skyline is changing all the time. Today, one of its most distinctive features is the Shard – a pyramid-shaped, 72-floor skyscraper in Southwark, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano.
This slender, glass-clad spire is the tallest building in the UK and the seventh tallest in Europe. Like many modern skyscrapers, it's a celebration of the structural potential of glass.
The spire is covered in angled, extra-white glass panes. In keeping with many modernist designs, it's built so the glass facade reflects the sunlight and sky, changing with the weather and the seasons.
The building gets its name from the eight sloping glass facades, known as "shards". These reflect the surroundings in fascinating and unpredictable ways.
Not everyone, however, is a fan, with English Heritage describing the building as "a shard of glass through the heart of historic London".
5. Bank of America, Greenville, USA
Bank of America is a huge multinational company. It operates in more than 35 countries and has nearly 4,000 branches and around 15,000 ATMs in the US alone.
With that kind of money knocking around, it's no surprise that Bank of America has put some money into its architecture. This is nowhere more apparent than in Greenville, the county seat of Greenville County, South Carolina.
This renovated building boasts an impressive glass facade. The east lobby has a glass entryway with a metal frame and glass wing doors. It also includes supporting pipe columns.
What is the biggest singular glass facade in the world?
According to
Guinness World Records, the biggest singular glass facade in the world is in Nantong, Jiangsu, China, built by Haojing Holdings Group Limited.
Completed in 2024, the facade weighs more than 5,000 kilogrammes and measures 19 metres by three metres.
What kind of glass are facades made from?
Structural facades are typically made out of laminated glass or IGUs (insulated glass units).
Laminated glass is a type of safety glass built to withstand heavy impacts and extreme weather conditions. It's made of two or more sheets of glass bonded with a plastic interlayer (or, in the case of our
fire-resistant glass, a gel interlayer).
IGUs, by contrast, are double- or triple-glazed units. Air or an inert gas is trapped between the panes, making for better insulation and energy efficiency than some other glass products.
Are you in the market for high-quality
structural glazing? At ToughGlaze, we work with some of the world's largest architecture and construction firms.
Get in touch today to request a quick, competitive quote.
