Structural Glass

Published in English for the first time, this second edition of the popular French original discusses the development of a new method of working with glass.


Peter Rice no longer considers glass an inert material: in his view, it is a material that, when correctly used, reacts to loads. Its structural qualitites can therefore be exploited. The authors describe how the exceptional serres, or greeenhouses, of the Musee des Sciences et de I'Industries at Parc La Villette, Paris were achieved, showing in detail their methods and design philosophy but also the difficulties and obstacles encountered. Structural Glass is a passionate account of the intellectual approach and techniques involved in high-technology projects, where architecture plays a role in the development of an evolving technical culture.


This new English edition, revised and expanded by Hugh Dutton, confirms the success of the innovative system demonstrated at La Villette. With nine new case studies not only from France but from Norway, London and Japan and an eight page colour section, Peter Rice and Hugh Dutton demonstrate possible applications of this new method of working with glass and its adaptation to large-scale projects with very different design and technical constraints.