Glasshouse

An all-encompassing experience of the beachside landscape has been made possible through the innovative use of curved glass in Glasshouse, a recently completed exclusive apartment development on the Gold Coast.

 

Designed by leading Queensland architectural practice bureau^proberts for clients Spyre Group, the hyper-luxury five-storey building utilises specially engineered sheets of fluted glass to open its two residences to the spectacular views in its magnificent location. “Glasshouse sits on an ancient rainforest-covered rocky outcrop at the southern end of Burleigh Heads,” says Dan Liddy, Partner and Project Design Lead at bureau^proberts. 

 

“It overlooks an iconic stretch of sandy beach well known as one of Australia’s surfing and holiday destinations." According to him, its design responds to this amazing natural landscape, taking on the terrain of the Burleigh Headland. “Glasshouse is suspended between the rugged landforms and endless ocean, with a fluted glass envelope that echoes the water’s rippling surface," Liddy says.

 

“The Gold Coast boasts some of Australia’s premier beachscapes and Glasshouse creates a sanctuary for its residents that amplifies the qualities of this amazing location, able to directly experience the sounds of the waves, the sea breezes and the tempered sunlight.” According to the architects, the expansive glass elements create a direct link with the ocean through their curved forms, while animating the exterior.

 

"Residents can also view the outlook with minimal disruption and maximum atmospheric impact," says Liddy. “When viewed from outside, the refraction from the concave form of the glass creates a distortion that increases the sense of privacy inside the apartments. This distortion dissolves when you look outwards from the interior, creating a direct connection to the ocean and the landscape.”

 

 

Planter beds and fissures on the sides of Glasshouse enable the landscaping to layer itself over the architecture, and the double-storey penthouse is crowned with an outdoor, open-air oasis of cascading rock pools that create a topographical form reflecting the headland it sits upon. The landscape references continue into the interiors of the two bespoke dwellings, with the kitchens and bathrooms featuring vanities in striated forms hewn from natural stone, reflecting the dark tones of the local Burleigh basalt.

 

 

 

“The effect is that in every room, there is a sense of being grounded by nature”, says Liddy “Elements of landscape, breeze, sunlight, and atmosphere heighten the connection between daily life and the qualities of living right on the coast.” The purchase of Glasshouse’s penthouse for $24 million set new records for the off-the-plan sale of an apartment in Queensland, demonstrating that bureau^proberts’ combination of sophisticated design, bespoke interiors, and ‘a sense of place’ has definitely found its niche.