Reimagining Our Domestic Lifestyle: Philip Johnson and The Glass House

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the ways in which Philip Johnson’s estate, the Glass House, reconsiders American domesticity. A visual analysis is given alongside the contextual account of American culture during the post-World War II era. In addition, information about Johnson’s philosophical background is given in relation to the structure. The origin of America’s domestic, which during post-war America was embodied through Suburbia, is the nuclear family. In contrast, Johnson’s dwelling celebrates the bountiful nature that surrounds the structure. This paper pursues an analysis of Johnson’s New Canaan estate in conversation with the evolution of American social constructs throughout history and contemporaneous with the construction of the Glass House. There is also acknowledgement of the architect’s Architectural Review a rticle that introduced this building to the world, alongside a commentary about architectural historicism. Moreover, the personality of the artist is an inherent aspect of their work, so the architect’s intellectual and playful approach towards architecture is mentioned in relation to the estate as a whole. This also relates to the notion of the “processional”, or attention towards how humans move through space, which is an essential topic in any discussion of Johnson’s work. Furthermore, one would be remiss not to consider an architect in context with their figures of influence. This paper focuses on Johnson’s interaction with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. Mies, in particular, influenced the Glass House through a comparison with the Farnsworth House, located in rural Illinois. Lastly, critical analysis of the form is provided to illustrate external perceptions of this structure. Johnson’s construction is unconcerned with socially accepted architectural programs associated with the expectations of a dwelling. This was a revolutionary act in the context of post-war America and the growth of suburbia. The Glass House is concerned with servicing the natural landscape by activating the performance of living within the domestic field