Greg Hickman Designs: Peer to Peer [with Haley Sudderth]

Looking at the physical aspects of these homes similarities are obvious in their design. Mies Van Der Rohe’s usage of steel, glass, and stone in the Farnsworth House served as an inspiration for the design of the Glass House by Phillip Johnson. When Johnson seen the concept of the Farnsworth House he stated that the Farnsworth House by Mies Van Der Rohe was a, “…radical departure from his last European domestic projects.” After the Farnsworth completion, Johnson went on to complete the Glass House. Although similar in visual characteristics, the concept behind the two varies. With the Farnsworth house, it is elevated five feet to help prevent flooding as opposed to the Glasshouse which is built directly onto the land. Although both homes bring in nature like pictures on a wall, the Farnesworth house does a better job of allowing the people who inhabit the space privacy. This minor state of privacy is made possible by the wood paneling that works as a divider creating the illusion of multiple rooms as opposed to a freestanding central fireplace in the Glasshouse.