The Glasshouse in Johannesburg.The house is situated on a 4000 sq.m site, with a total floor area of 2500sq.m.An existing house was demolished to construct the new house.The owner requested a modern, glamorous, open plan, light-filled house with views from allrooms into the garden.The shape on the south side is a half circle, forming a horseshoe on the north side.Approaching the house form the gate the driveway is elevated to allow glimpses thru’ the houseto the garden and raised water feature on the other side of the house.The porte cochere is a suspended glass and stainless steel structure, with view into the house anda stainless steel and glass staircase, suspended over a heated pond, (which in summer acts as atemperature stabilizer, and in winter as a giant heater) with a circular, raised glass water featurein the background, framed by a beam two storeys high.To the right is a small sunken formal lounge, and to the left a timber-clad lift tower.The dining room is raised a couple of steps above the family room.The window to the dining room is a 6m high curved glass enclosure, where each sheet of glassleans over further than the previous sheet, with glass fins holding it in position.The frameless glass folding doors starts at the dining room, and stretches for nearly 70m aroundthe dining room, family room, lanai, indoor pool and gym.The family room is partially double volume, flowing seamlessly into the lanai and heated indoorpool, with a bar, pizza oven, gas and wood braai.The kitchen leads off the family room and dining room, with a pair of automatic, framelesssandblasted doors leading from the dining room to the kitchen. A breakfast area and playroomare adjacent to the kitchen, allowing the younger kids to be supervised from the kitchen andfamily room, and allowing direct access to the bar and barbeque area from the kitchen.An atrium between the family room and the kitchen allows the family to ventilate and cool thehouse naturally, without compromising their security, while a roller shutter door drops downautomatically when the alarm is activated, cutting the top floor off from the ground floor.The walls to the family room and bar is clad with marble strips, with glass inlays and LED striplights.You can jump from the main bedroom into the pool, swim to the gym, swim back and use thesteel spiral staircase to go back to the main bedroom , or tip a tipsy friend into the pool from hisbarstool!