by Glass! Love!! Perpetual Motion!!!-A Paul Scheerbart Reader Josiah McElheny
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74 Exhibition buildings in America and Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
75 Experimental site for glass architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
76 A permanent exhibition of glass architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
77 The crystal room il uminated by translucent floors. . . . . . . . . . . . 73
78 Metal filigree with enamel inlay hung in front of crude reinforced
concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
79 The aeronaut’s house with airship models on the roof . . . . . . . . . . 74
80 Soft lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
81 Twilight effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
82 Lighthouses and shipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
83 Airports as glass palaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
84 Light nights, when glass architecture comes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
85 The bril iant (diamond) ef ect in architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
86 Three-dimensional and two-dimensional ornament in architecture . . . . 77
87 The transformation of fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
88 Colour-lit pools, fountains and waterfal s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
89 The discovery of the brick bacillus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
90 The nervous ef ect of very bright light unsoftened by colour . . . . . . . 78
91 Railway stations and glass architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
92 Uniform street lamps and their elimination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
93 Present-day travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
94 Future travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
95 The Doppler and the Zeeman effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
96 Which spheres of interest are fostered or endangered by glass
architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
97 Heavy industry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
98 The chemical dye industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
99 The glass industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
100 The influence of coloured glass on the plant world. . . . . . . . . . . . 83
101 Art in bridge building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
102 The transformation of the Earth’s surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
103 The transformation of the official architect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
104 The psychological ef ects of the glass architectural environment . . . . . 87
105 A composed and settled nation, when glass architecture comes. . . . . . 88
106 More coloured light! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
107 The main entrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
108 The monumental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
109 Streets and highways as light-column avenues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
110 Chemistry and technics in the twentieth century. . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
111 Glass culture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
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1
Environment and its influence on the development of culture
We live for the most part in closed rooms. These form the environ-
ment from which our culture grows. Our culture is to a certain extent
the product of our architecture. If we want our culture to rise to a
higher level, we are obliged, for better or for worse, to change our
architecture. And this only becomes possible if we take away the
closed character from the rooms in which we live. We can only do
that by introducing glass architecture, which lets in the light of the
sun, the moon, and the stars, nor merely through a few windows, but
through every possible wall, which will be made entirely of glass — of
coloured glass. The new environment, which we thus create, must
bring us a new culture.
2
The veranda
Obviously the first thing to tackle is something quickly done. To start
with, therefore, the veranda can be transformed. It is easy to enlarge
it, and to surround it on three sides with double glass walls. Both
these walls will be ornamentally coloured and, with the light between
them, the effect of the veranda in the evening, inside and out, will be
most impressive. If a view of the garden is to be provided, this can be
achieved by using transparent window-panes. But is it better not to
fit window-type panes. Ventilators are better for admitting air.
In a modest way, it is thus comparatively easy for any villa-
owner to create ‘glass architecture’. The first step is very simple and
convenient.
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27
3
The Botanical Gardens at Dahlem
We already have glass architecture in botanical gardens. The Botanical
Gardens at Dahlem near Berlin show that very imposing glass palaces
have been erected. But — colour is missing. In the evening sunlight,
however, the Palm House and the Cold House look so magnificent
that one has a good idea of what could be achieved if colour were
exploited. The Palm House is particularly interesting: outside, the
seemingly unsupported iron* construction; inside, the framework of
the wood glazing bars, so that no rust-water accumulates and the
iron can be repainted again and again. Wood, because of its imper-
manence, is not an impressive material. The worst thing, though,
is that the glass walls are single and not double; in consequence,
the expenditure on winter heating is simply enormous. In one of its
guidebooks, the management recounts with unjustified pride that
in winter, in a single day with a temperature at 8 am of -10 degrees
centigrade, a load of 300 centners† of best Silesian coal is consumed.
That, it will be conceded, is rather excessive and not a fit source
of pride. Heating expenses of this sort should have been countered
with double glass walls.
* Throughout the translation of Glasarchitektur the German word Eisen is given
as “iron.”
† About 15 tons [Ed.]
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4
Double glass walls, light, heating and cooling
As air is one of the worst conductors of heat, the double glass wal
is an essential condition for all glass architecture. The walls can be
a metre apart — or have an even greater space between. The light
between these walls shines outward and inward, and both the outer
and the inner walls may be ornamentally coloured. If, in so doing, too
much light is absorbed by the colour, the external wal may be left
entirely clear; it is then advisable simply to provide the light between
the walls with a coloured glass shade, so that the wal light in the
evening does not dazzle on the outside.
To place heating and incandescent elements between the walls
is in most cases not to be recommended, since by this means too
much warmth or cold is lost to the outer atmosphere. Heating and
cooling elements, however, can be suspended like lamps in the inte-
rior, where all hanging lights are to some extent superfluous, si
nce
light is distributed by the walls.
In the first instance it is clearly advisable to build glass houses
only in the temperate zones, and not in the equilatorial and polar
regions as well; in the warmer climates one could not do without
a white reinforced concrete roof, but in temperate zones, this need
does not arise. To provide floor heating and cover, electrically-heated
carpets are recommended.
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5
The iron skeleton and the reinforced concrete skeleton
An iron skeleton is of course indispensable for glass architecture.
This will inevitably stimulate an extraordinary upsurge in heavy
industry. How to protect iron from rust has not yet been solved in a
satisfactory manner. There are many methods of counteracting rust,
but so far we do not know which is the best. The simple protective
coating, long in vogue, leaves much to be desired aesthetically. The
glass architect must surely think of something better to offer. But we
can confidently leave this to future developments.
If we are ready to al ow larger dimensions to the structural frame,
for not every particle of the glass house has to be of glass, a rein-
forced concrete skeleton is well worth thinking about, for it has
proved itself so admirably as a building material, that nothing more
need be said about its merits here. Reinforced concrete can also be
handled artistically — either with colour or to aesthetic effect with
designs cut with the chisel.
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6
The inner framework of glass surfaces
The iron or reinforced concrete skeleton virtual y frames the glass, but
the glazed surfaces must have another smaller inner frame. For this
purpose in the Botanical Gardens, as already mentioned, imperma-
nent wood was used. Instead of wood a durable material must now be
found. Iron is certainly more lasting, but has to be protected against
rust, which can be done by nickelling or coating it with paint. The
latter, as has been said before, is aesthetically displeasing and has
to be renewed often. Perhaps reinforced concrete is an ideal building
material here, as it does not take up so much surface.
Various other new building materials might be considered, but
these have not yet been sufficiently tested for them to be thought of
as entirely credible materials suitable for framing glazed surfaces.
It is the technical man’s problem, and he will surely find the right
answer. In any case, only very strong and rust-free materials are
potential y appropriate; wood is not durable and in iron constructions
should only be used as a last resort. Wood is no longer used in
bridges either; they are built entirely of iron and reinforced concrete.
Similarly, glass architecture is half-iron architecture. Heavy industry
has consequently won a completely new market, which is bound to
raise the consumption of iron tenfold.
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7
The avoidance of wood in furniture and interior decoration
Inside the glass house, too, wood is to be avoided; it is no longer
appropriate. Cupboards, tables and chairs must be made of glass if
the whole environment is to convey a sense of unity. This will nat-
urally be a grievous blow to the wood industry. Nickel-steel would,
of course, have to be decorated with enamel and niello, so that the
furniture may create a striking aesthetic effect — like extremely fine
wood-carving and wooden cabinets inlaid with other woods. Wood
is to be avoided, because of its impermanence, but the use of iron
in iron-glass construction lies along the natural line of development.
8
The furniture in the middle of the room
It will surely appear self-evident that the furniture in the glass house
may not be placed against the precious, ornamentally-coloured glass
walls. Pictures on the walls are, of course, totally impossible. Given
the highest intentions, this revolution in the environment is inevitable.
Glass architecture will have a tough fight on its hands, but force of
habit must be overcome. Ideas derived from our grandparents must no
longer be the deciding influence in the new environment. Everything
new has to wage an arduous campaign against entrenched tradition.
It cannot be otherwise, if the new is to prevail.
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9
The larger veranda and its independence of the main building
Whoever has provided his veranda with colour-ornamented glass
on three sides will soon want to have more glass architecture. One
thing leads to another, and to stop the process is unthinkable. So
the veranda continues to grow; in the end it emancipates itself from
the main building, and may become the main building itself. To
promote this evolution of the veranda will be the chief task of every
glass architect.
10
Garden houses and pavilions
The ancient Arabs lived far more in their gardens than in their castles.
For this reason garden houses and kiosks were very quickly devel-
oped by them. Unluckily, since perishable wood was their constant
choice of building material, nothing remains of this Arabian garden
architecture.
The task of the modern architect, therefore, is to use only the
best iron and reinforced concrete materials for garden houses and
pavilions, and to encourage double colour-ornamented glass walls
everywhere in the garden. In introducing glass architecture, it is best
to begin with the garden; every owner of a large garden will want to
have a glass garden house.
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11
Stone flags and majolica on garden paths
In their gardens, the Arabs had patterned floors of stone and majol-
ica; they thus transferred their taste for carpets to their gardens. The
Dutch have copied this from the Arabs.
Modern glass architects will be well advised to pave their garden
paths with stone and majolica tiles, for in this way the splendour of
the glass palaces will be worthily framed.
12
Magnesite and the perfect floor covering for the house
We can now hardly avoid considering many new building materials,
but only by way of suggestion. Jointless magnesite floors have much
to recommend them; but whether they are equally suited to the house,
with its colourful glass walls, is not so easily decided. In any case,
many other materials obviously come into the picture as the perfect
floor covering — even stone ‘parquet’, consisting of stones arranged
like mosaic. But magnesite should be very durable, and therefore
good. Inside the house one will have to be sparing with colour for
the floor, in order to achieve a contrasting effect with the walls.
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13
The functional style
The reader might gain the impression that glass architecture is rather
cold, but in warm weather, coolness is not unpleasant. Anyhow, let
me make it clear that colours in glass can produce a most glowing
effect, shedding perhaps a new warmth. What has been said up
to now takes on
a somewhat warmer atmosphere. I should like to
resist most vehemently the undecorated ‘functional style’,* for it is
inartistic. It has often been adopted before in other contexts, and
this is happening once again.
For a transition period, the functional style seems to me accept-
able; at all events it has done away with imitations of older styles,
which are simply products of brick architecture and wooden furniture.
Ornamentation in the glass house will evolve entirely of its own
accord — the oriental decoration, the carpets and the majolica will be
so transformed that in glass architecture we shall never, I trust, have
to speak of copying. At least, let’s hope so!
* The German word here is ‘Sachstil’ (author’s quotes) [Ed.].
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14
The cladding of building materials and its justification
A housefront faced with perishable plaster is clearly reprehensible,
and a single coat of paint, which is not weather-proof, is obviously not
permissible. Architects have therefore declared any cladding unjusti-
fiable and display the brick front completely naked. A ghastly sight!
Brick is only effective if it has weathered and has the character of
a ruin — when it looks like a ruin. The ancient Egyptians faced their
brick pyramids with smooth granite slabs. These have not been
destroyed but stolen. If the latter occurs, preservation is naturally out
of the question. A cladding of an inferior material is, in my opinion,
fully justified.
Since, nowadays, there are very many buildings which cannot be
replaced in a day by glass structures, we may reasonably give some
thought to durable facing materials for factories, harbour installa-
tions, etc. Enamelled panels of iron and majolica are particularly
suitable. Old walls, brick ‘fences’, stables, and so on, can be clad in
this way.
Houses, too, can be given a passable veneer with roof-gardens, if
large numbers of glass pavilions are erected in them.
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15
The finishing and plastic treatment of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is a building material which is very strong and
weather-resistant. It has been rightly acclaimed by architects as the
ideal material. A pity that it is not transparent: only glass is.
But reinforced concrete is unsightly if left in its natural state. A
smooth finish to reinforced concrete, which is perfectly feasible, is