Glass Brick House: Innovative Light and Space in Dense Urban Living

Urban infill sites challenge architects to find creative solutions for tight spaces with limited light and views. The glass brick house in Ghent, Belgium, designed by Delmulle Delmulle Architecten, is a striking response to these constraints. Occupying a narrow 98-square-metre lot surrounded on three sides by existing buildings, this three-storey home uses an innovative double-skin façade of glass bricks combined with full-height glazing to flood the interior with natural light while maintaining privacy.

The project’s design pushes the boundaries of urban architecture by embracing its compact site rather than fighting it. The architects turned the façade into a filter that softens incoming light and connects the home to its terraced street context. Its layout also defies convention: private bedrooms occupy the lower floors, while social living areas are located on the top floor, maximizing daylight and offering elevated views.

As cities densify and infill becomes vital for sustainable development, the glass brick house offers a model for rethinking how to create open, light-filled homes in tight urban fabric. This project illustrates the potential of careful material selection and spatial organization in overcoming common challenges of urban housing.

Context and Design Response

Urban Constraints and Site Conditions

The site is enclosed by adjacent buildings on three sides, leaving only the front façade exposed to natural light and views. This condition restricts window placement and requires a façade that performs multiple roles: bringing in light, providing privacy, and visually relating to the surrounding architecture.

Double-Skin Glass Brick Façade

To meet these needs, the architects designed a double-skin façade system. The outer layer consists of translucent glass bricks laid in a pattern that references nearby historic terraced houses. Behind this is an inner glazed layer with sliding doors that open to a narrow air space with a metal grille floor, which enhances ventilation and light diffusion.

Table 1: Façade Components and Functions

Component	Material	Function
Outer Skin	Glass bricks	Diffuses light, provides privacy
Inner Skin	Full-height glazing	Insulation, controlled ventilation access
Intermediate Space	Metal grille floor	Allows filtered light and airflow

Spatial Organization and Interior Layout

The glass brick house uses an inverted plan. Bedrooms and bathrooms occupy the lower floors where light is limited, while the top floor contains the living room, kitchen, and dining areas to maximize daylight and views.

A spiral metal staircase connects the levels, acting as a sculptural element and space saver. The interiors rely on a restrained palette of natural materials: exposed white-stained cross-laminated timber walls, terracotta flooring, and simple fittings create a warm and minimal atmosphere.

Architectural Analysis

The design logic embraces the site’s constraints by transforming its narrowness and enclosure into opportunities for a luminous, spatially efficient home. The double-skin façade uses glass bricks—a traditional material adapted innovatively—to balance light, privacy, and thermal comfort.

The choice of cross-laminated timber for the structure responds to sustainability goals and expresses material honesty. The white stain enhances brightness inside without compromising the wood’s tactile quality.

Contextually, the façade’s pattern references nearby 18th-century stepped-gable houses, connecting the contemporary home to Ghent’s rich architectural heritage while maintaining a modern language.

Critically, the project raises questions about livability in ultra-compact homes. Does the inverted layout limit everyday comfort or offer a new paradigm for urban living? While the glass brick façade is striking, the thickness of the double skin and metal grille space could present maintenance challenges.

Project Importance

The glass brick house teaches architects how to rethink residential typologies for dense cities. It demonstrates that small urban plots can host spatially rich and well-lit homes without sacrificing privacy or contextual sensitivity.

This project contributes to architectural thinking by merging traditional materials like glass bricks with advanced construction methods such as cross-laminated timber. It pushes the boundaries of facade engineering and material layering in urban settings.

In an era of increasing urban density and environmental concern, this house offers relevant insights into sustainable building materials, daylighting strategies, and spatial economy. It shows that innovation is possible even within strict physical constraints and offers a replicable model for projects facing similar challenges worldwide.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The glass brick house presents a compelling synthesis of tradition and innovation. The use of translucent glass bricks combined with timber structure creates a nuanced play of light and shadow. Its façade reflects the rhythm of historic terraced homes, creating visual harmony in a dense urban setting.

However, one might question the practical impacts of the double façade’s narrow cavity. Could it pose difficulties for cleaning or maintenance? Despite this, the project’s spatial arrangement and material honesty offer valuable lessons on adapting urban housing to tight, constrained sites while preserving natural light and privacy.

Conclusion

The glass brick house in Ghent stands as a significant contribution to contemporary urban architecture. It transforms a small, enclosed plot into a luminous, efficient home that respects its context and history. By innovatively employing a double-skin glass brick façade and cross-laminated timber interiors, it balances light, privacy, and sustainability.

This project exemplifies how thoughtful material choice and spatial organization can overcome urban constraints. As cities continue to densify, the lessons from this house will be increasingly valuable. It challenges architects to think beyond conventional layouts and materials to create homes that are compact but generous in experience, linking heritage with future-focused building practices.

Explore the Latest Architecture Exhibitions & Conferences

ArchUp offers daily updates on top global architectural exhibitions, design conferences, and professional art and design forums.
Follow key architecture competitions, check official results, and stay informed through the latest architectural news worldwide.
ArchUp is your encyclopedic hub for discovering events and design-driven opportunities across the globe.