Glass Pavilion
Deutz, Germany
No longer standing
Demolished or destroyed.
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Built in 1914 for the Cologne Deutscher Werkbund Exhibition, Bruno Taut's Glass Pavilion stands as a landmark of German expressionist architecture and the designer's most celebrated work. The prismatic structure, commissioned by the German glass industry association, was a pineapple-shaped, fourteen-sided polygon constructed of thick glass bricks—the first building of architectural importance to employ the material. The double-layered dome featured colored glass prisms internally and reflective glass externally, while inlaid colored glass plates on the facade functioned as mirrors. Taut orchestrated an ascendant chromatic sequence from dark blue at the base through moss green and golden yellow to pale luminous yellow at the crown, describing it as a "little temple of beauty." Elevated on a concrete plinth and accessed by twin flights of steps, the pavilion was designed to demonstrate glass's expressive potential and its capacity to evoke spiritual emotion. Glass-treaded metal staircases accessed an upper projection room. Demolished after the exhibition closed, the building survives only in marginal black-and-white photographs that poorly capture its luminous polychromatic effects.
Architect
Movement
- Type
- pavilion
- Place
- Deutz, Germany
This building on
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Location