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In September 2011, publisher Rizzoli New York released The Glass House, a photo tour of Philip Johnson’s famous estate. The book includes text by Philip Johnson himself and by architecture critic Paul Goldberger and is the official Glass House book of The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Robin Hill’s photo “Glass House Dawn” was selected to appear on the book’s cover.

Below is the first of a three-part installment wherein Robin Hill shares his experience of photographing the Glass House estate.

A handful of iconic houses have reached the public imagination, and the Glass House is among the finest. In this transparent pavilion, surrounded by nature, Philip Johnson designed an architectural gem of quiet depth and epic simplicity. Its power arises from the Earth and exerts itself into a natural auditorium that can suffuse the visitor with a sense of grateful contemplation. It is a chapel in a cathedral of nature. One could be tempted into thinking that the Glass House is just a brown rectangular box with see-through walls, but to follow this line of thinking is to miss the point, because its simplicity hides a raw architectural sophistication that transcends an ordinary interpretation of space, providing the visitor with a unique opportunity to experience nature and architecture as a continuous whole.

The healing power of nature plays a large role in Henning Larsen Architects’ winning design for an extension to Denmark’s Herlev Hospital. Here exterior spaces are as carefully planned as interior ones, affording occupants in all areas of the extension some contact with the outdoors. The organizing principles of the new addition also accommodate state-of-the-art developments in patient care.

Madrid’s CentroCentro Culture and Citizenship Cibeles (5Cs) programming addresses cultural and civic action from within the renovated Cibeles Palace. 

Late payment to the contractor is one of the main causes of relationships souring during construction projects. The contractor is unhappy. Subcontractors are unhappy. Suppliers are unhappy. The engineer has to field all of these complaints -- and often the blame. Incomplete payments, due to disputed work or progress, lead to damaged relationships as well. Late payments do more than effect relationships, however: They can severely cripple a contractor’s ability to continue and complete the work.

Having an outdoor pool at home provides welcome relief from summer heat, keeps your kids engaged and active, and can serve as a focal point for entertaining. These five simple upgrades will make your pool amazing.

Spring cleaning is just around the corner, only to be followed by spring decorating! Five interior designers give us tips on how to give our space a fresh spring look without breaking the bank.

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art wins an Alliant Build America Award for its contractors, the Linbeck Nabholz Joint Venture.

Upon first blush, the term “Lean Construction” seems to lack the hype usually associated with the latest and greatest, best and brightest product of construction firms interested in getting the attention of their clients, who always want to save money and receive greater value in the buildings. The relentless quest for ways to improve the often provincial construction processes at work for projects from the large to the small, from the simple to the complex. Indeed, the construction industry is haunted by the constant beckoning of high-tech solutions; in most other primary industrial arenas, factory lines, supply chains, and sophisticated “back office” functions have created greater efficiencies and much better products.

Toyo Ito & Associates and b720 Fermin Vazquez Arquitectos collaborated to create "the best skyscraper in the world." The Hotel Santos Porta Fira in Barcelona earned the prestigious designation when it won the Emporis Skyscraper Award 2010.

Sometimes it is what’s on the outside that counts, and that’s just the case with the Hotel Santos Porta Fira. The Barcelona, Spain, skyline received a burst of fiery red coloring with the addition of the towering skyscraper. The 369.78' spiraling masterpiece features 26 floors, 320 rooms, and luxury amenities and services, such as an on-site health club and massage center. The hotel also offers nine large, state-of-the-art meeting rooms equipped with the latest technology and a plenary room. The hotel has a meeting capacity of 1,357 and the largest meeting room can accommodate 740 occupants.

Light tubes are an affordable way to bring natural light into your home.

There are two different ways to harness the power of solar energy: active solar systems and passive solar systems. Solar panels and other solar energy collectors are considered active systems. Generally, their purpose is to collect, store and distribute solar energy to heat water or air inside a building. The term ‘passive solar’ refers to the process of constructing and orienting a building to take advantage of sunlight as a source of light and heat without the use of solar equipment. The goal, aside from the healthy benefits of natural light, is to reduce overall dependence upon mechanical systems.

In November 2010, the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) LEED 2012 update opened for public comment. Through January 14, 2011, the USGBC will collect these comments, then review them, revise the LEED 2012 updates, and initiate a second round of public comments from July 1, 2011 through August 15, 2011. Balloting by USGBC members for LEED 2012 is scheduled for August 2012, with LEED 2012 set for release on November 7, 2012.