mid-century [glamper]

one benefit to being an architect is no matter where you go there's always something to visit.  a wonderful perk if you're an architect; a slight annoyance to those traveling with you who are not [into] buildings.

not too terribly far away from maine is arguably one of the more famous houses in america; the glass house by philip johnson.  that simple glass mid century structure we all know and love from architecture school.  a long weekend trip to connecticut to visit my in-laws put us within 20 minutes of it's location.  with it being that close and one of those building [you just have to see] i convinced all four of us to sign up for the tour.

it was exactly what the name implies; a glass house. emphasizing this fact, upon turning the corner and seeing the building for the first time my mother-in-law said "is that it?" making me laugh.

it was everything i had heard about in school; extremely open floor plan, classic proportions and minimal detailing.  one item i didn't pick up on from my history books is that it's not so much about the building but rather the landscape surrounding it.  when taking in the space on the inside of the structure the building dissapears and you feel a part of the landscape.  the house doesn't really have walls of glass, but rather walls made up of scenes of the trees, the lawn, the stone wall, the pond and the views.  you don't feel a part of the house, you feel included in the landscape. 

after taking the tour and enjoying the house it made me wonder whether philip johnson had really built a minimalist icon...or if he was merely a fan of glamping.