Designed by Chinese architect firm Atelier FCJZ, this vertical glass house in Shanghai has glass floors that let you see into every room.
Measuring a mere 40 square meters, the four-storey windowless house features a glass roof and glass floors on every level, allowing its occupants an unobstructed view from the basement all the way to the sky. A steel column in the center spans the height of the house, and together with a series of criss-crossing joists, divides each floor into four separate areas. One quarter on each level is taken up by a steel spiral staircase that descends to the basement from a double-height second floor.
The exterior of the house was purposely left rough and the interior sanded to contrast against the grey concrete walls. To counter the lack of windows, narrow strips of horizontal openings on each floor contain lighting that creates light stripes at night.
According to the project architect Lu Bai in an article by Dezeen, the house structure emphasizes spirituality and materials. “With closed walls and transparent floors as well as roof, the house opens to the sky and the earth, positions the inhabitant right in the middle, and creates a place for meditation.”
Originally designed by the firm’s architect Yung Ho Chang as an urban housing prototype for a competition in 1991, it was finally completed for the West Bund Biennale of Architecture and Contemporary Art last year.
It is certainly a bold and interesting concept–imagine looking up to see someone using the toilet or taking a shower. Would you like to live in such a house, or are the transparent glass floors too open for comfort?
[via Dezeen]