The greenhouse. The beginning of the glass envelope. A quarter inch between here and the other side. A new expression of the wall. A twist on the preconceived notion of private and public space. Well, I'm going a bit far. In the beginning the all glass enclosure was to serve a purpose: provide sunlight to plants, a progression in horticulture. What I find most fascinating about the birth of this major movement in Architecture are the culprits involved: gardeners and engineers. It's not that I'm surprised - form is to follow function, and those requiring functions that are not fulfilled will pursue alternative methods. It's human nature - we constantly re-create, modify, reform, refine, redefine. In essence, it is instinctual for us to design the world around us. So, the gardeners of 1800's decided to solve a problem. Of course, this was during the Industrial Revolution. The technology, and more important, the mindset was in place to utilize prefabrication. An example of this progression is the Palm House in Bicton Gardens, constructed around 1830 in Devon, England.
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