The architecture of a building is often determined by the need and purpose for which construction is undertaken, and the requirements of those who will occupy it. Buildings are no longer about brick, mortar and stone mixed in the right quantities and put together, but about comfort, safety, luxury and even style; and what better construction material to use than glass to impart all these characteristics to a building.

Let us look at how glass has transformed buildings today to oases of comfort and luxury.

The Nanjing Centre

The Nanjing Centre for Chinese and American Studies was designed by Perkins Eastman on the Nanjing University Campus. This truly elegant structure in glass is a 10,000 sq. m, 10-storey building. A joint venture with The Johns Hopkins University, it encompasses classrooms, lecture spaces, faculty residences and student lounges. The transparency and ample space within the facility is a sheer treat.

The building façade is a fusion of terracotta, limestone, and glass, making for consistency with the older campus buildings, and juxtaposing sturdiness with openness. Four-storey glass walls define both the courtyard on the campus-facing side of the building and a plaza on the public-facing side, giving visibility to the active circulation areas.

The structural glass panes are affixed with spider clips so that mullions do not block the view of the landscape and pool. The upper floors of the building feature banded windows in the faculty apartments, avoiding a typical dormitory or residential style so that the building aesthetic remains academic, and public and private spaces are clearly demarcated.

At one corner, a glass tower provides an extensive view of the city beyond the campus walls and, when lit at night, stands out as a visual beacon. The floor plates behind the glass wall have a shadow box detail which imparts a seamless appearance by concealing the joints between the floor plates and the walls. An auditorium located in an adjacent structure within the courtyard features a curving metal roof which folds down into the glass atrium to form a wall between the two buildings.

China Central Place

China Central Place, which is also known as the Hua Mao Center is located in Beijing’s central business district, China. China Central Place is an eye-catching 7 million ft² mixed use glass complex. It is part of a large integrated real estate development that includes apartments, an upscale mall and the Ritz Carlton. The design was created by the international architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF).

The architecture of China Central Place consists of diagonally faceted glass sheets whose appearance is softened at the lowest five stories by terra cotta screens. Within the site, the component buildings define two major public parks of over 2 hectares each. This complex created a lasting impression on the public. It provided people with a sheltered environment for work, residence, shopping, while enjoying enjoy the synergies of urban life without the stresses of congestion.