Using glass in architecture hasn't always been about trendy frameless glass doors and panoramic glass walls. Glass has been used in a variety of different ways in buildings to delight and enchant throughout time. Let's have a look at some examples.

Glass has always been a popular building material. The beauty and light that glass offers has been utilised for centuries. With the development of toughened glass and double-glazing, glass has become even more prominently featured in building work over the past few decades. Now many buildings often contain glass walls, panoramic windows and frameless glass doors.

So let's examine some famous glass architecture that exists in the world. Not all of them have frameless glass doors, but some of them probably do.

Glass used in Fine Art Structure

The Louvre Pyramid. Possibly the most well-known structure made completely from glass. Built in 1989, it stands 20 metres high and contains over 600 panels of glass, held together by a steel frame structure. It is a daring piece of work, and has been criticised in Paris, labelled a futuristic eyesore next to the Louvre Palace, which is hundreds of years old. Yet others have praised the juxtaposition of contrasting architectural styles as a successful merger of the old and the new, the classical and the ultra-modern. The Louvre Pyramid has gained more notability since being used as an integral part of Dan Brown's headline-grabbing novel, ‘The Da Vinci Code,' and in the subsequent Hollywood film of the same name. The Louvre Pyramid is also depicted being accidentally destroyed by American freedom fighters in the hit comedy film ‘Team America: World Police.'

Huge Amounts of Glass used in Skyscrapers

Although the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is built primarity of steel, it deserves a special mention in this article because along with being the largest building ever built; it was constructed with 24,348 glass windows! All those glass windows mean that it is the most glass-filled structure in the world, and it takes a team of 36 workers over three months to clean every one of them! The radiant glass constantly shimmering and reflecting light in the constant Arabic sun makes this jaw-droppingly huge building even more impressive.

Ancient Stained Glass Windows still Incredible Today

The York Minster Cathedral also deserves a special mention as it is home to the largest stained glass window in the world. The Great East window is 23 metres tall, contains well over 100 panels of beautifully-painted glass and is magnificent to behold. It depicts several biblical scenes and characters, all in a mirage of fantastic colour and light. The cathedral also boasts an ornate rose window, and the stunning, 15 metre tall ‘Five Sisters' window. In all, the cathedral contains 128 stained glass windows, made up of two million individual pieces of glass!

Building with glass is in our past, our present and in our future. The beauty and practicality of glass cannot be matched, and it continues to be as desirable as ever. Today, many homes and businesses are choosing to build with glass. They use glass walls, staircases, ornaments and frameless glass windows to portray a very contemporary stylish look.

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