AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet

AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Shelving, ChairAD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Stairs, Door, HandrailAD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Windows, FacadeAD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Windows, FacadeAD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - More Images+ 8

Paris, France

Text description provided by the architects. Designed by Pierre Chareau and Bernard Bijvoet, the Maison de Verre translated as “House of Glass,” is a milestone in early modern architectural design. 

AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Shelving, Chair
© Wikimedia user: Subrealistsandu

Built in 1932, the house uses various industrial and mechanical fixtures juxtaposed with a traditional style of home furnishings all under the transparency and lightness of the façade. 

AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Stairs, Door, Handrail
© Wikimedia user: Subrealistsandu

Unable to expel an elderly woman on the top floor, the house was engraved underneath an existing apartment. As such, the house uses skeleton frame steel construction allowing a free plan and the use of omnipresent lightweight materials, such as glass and glass block.

AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Image 9 of 13
© Wikimedia user: Subrealistsandu

An interesting aspect of this house is the ubiquitous mechanical fixtures. On the ground floor was a medical suite for Dr. Jean Dalsace. 

This unusual circulation arrangement was resolved by a rotating screen which hid the private stairs from patients during the day, but framed the stairs at night. 

AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Stairs, Door, Handrail
© Wikimedia user: Subrealistsandu

Other mechanical components include an overhead trolley from the kitchen to dining room, a retracting stair from the private sitting room to a bedroom, and complex bathroom cupboards and fittings.

AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Windows, Facade
© Wikimedia user: Subrealistsandu

Spatial division inside is customizable by the use of sliding, folding, and rotating screens in glass, sheet or perforated metal.

AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet - Windows, Brick, Facade
© Wikimedia user: Subrealistsandu

The honesty of materials, variable transparency of forms, and the juxtaposition of “industrial” materials and traditional home décor makes Maison de Verre a landmark in 20th century architecture.

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About this office
Cite: Brian Pagnotta. "AD Classics: Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet" 27 Jun 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/248077/ad-classics-maison-de-verre-pierre-chareau-bernard-bijvoet> ISSN 0719-8884

© Wikimedia user: Subrealistsandu

AD 经典:玻璃之家 / Pierre Chareau + Bernard Bijvoet

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