The Noir Glasshouse
- Ishita Shreekant
- Apr 27
- 3 min read
A contemporary pavilion within a private lawn setting, defined by openness, structure and shared space.
The Glasshouse began as a simple brief: a glass gazebo within a lawn shared across multiple cottages.
The context was important. The homes were designed as individual brick cottages. Private, inward-looking and scaled for personal use. While this created intimacy, it also meant there was no single space that could comfortably host larger gatherings or fully engage with the surrounding landscape.
The intent of the glasshouse was to address this gap. To create a space that felt open to the lawn, usable throughout the day, and capable of hosting people at a larger scale, while still being comfortable and functional.
The footprint of the platform was already defined by the clients, considering the circulation around the structure that would be, the entry and exit points and the usage of the lawn. The design had to work precisely within this footprint. This constraint became a starting point for proportion, layout and structure.
Before developing the design further, we explored 10 different directions, each testing a different form and the kind of spatial experience and harmony it would create with the surrounding.
The final direction was based on an A-frame structure. Not just as a stylistic choice, but because of how it performs spatially. It creates height, clarity and a strong sense of enclosure without feeling heavy.
Once aligned, the project through detailed drawings, 3D iterations, and technical resolutions, from structural members (MS hollow sections) to glazing systems (DGU for heat control) and integration of services within a predominantly glass envelope.
The internal layout was designed to maximise capacity within the given footprint. A double-height living room created with the expansive view of the lawn and was anchored by a central chandelier, defining the luxurious experience of the glasshouse. Further, a dining zone for a party of 8, positioned below a mezzanine, a staircase as a sculptural background design element in metal and wood and a mezzanine level with a bar and additional seating, overlooking both the living space and the landscape.
A skylight above the mezzanine frames the tree canopy, bringing in filtered light and reinforcing the connection to the outdoors from all directions.
A pergola extends from the structure, partially merging with and concealing the cantilevered mezzanine volume. It also introduces a layer of filtered light, casting shifting patterns of shadow across the lawn through the day.
Materially, the structure is defined by a matte black MS frame, bold and deliberate against the softer brick cottages. This is balanced by a curved black-and-white flooring transition that softens the geometry and subtly elongates the space, along with warmer inserts of wood, olive tones and restrained lighting.
Throughout the day, the space remains naturally lit yet shaded by surrounding trees. From within, the transparency reduces the sense of enclosure, allowing the landscape to remain visually dominant.
The result of all of these details? It is a space that the clients use continuously, for gathering, working, hosting, and spending time, with the cottages now acting as quieter, private counterparts around it.
A project like this works when the brief is treated as a starting point, not a fixed outcome.
Sharing a closer look at the project, through the client’s perspective.
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