Translucent Skylights from Falconnier Glass Blocks

Abstract

Construction technologies go through several stages: emergence, improvement, decline and revival. Falconnier glass block technology, which was in demand at the very beginning of the 20th century, is now being revived again. Hand-blown and hollow inside, Falconnier glass blocks were widely used for glazing windows, greenhouses, lighting stairs, but of particular interest is their use as a material for glazing translucent coatings of roofs and atriums. Quite often, glass bricks could be found in blank fire walls. In most cases, glass blocks were used for the purpose of zoning spaces while maintaining daylighting, as well as in technical rooms. But Falconnier glass blocks were also used for glazing front facades. But in the mansion of the Tambov manufacturer Aseev, built in 1904–06, a unique cylindrical vault was made from this material, covering the large span of the central living room. On the territory of Russia, it was apparently the only structure of complex configuration made of Falconnier glass blocks. The structure was lost and needs to be restored. According to the results of research, its close analogue is the translucent coating of the atrium of the town hall in Zurich, which is perfectly preserved and, in fact, is very close to the historical design of the lost part of the skylight in M.V. Aseev’s mansion. At the moment, there is every reason to believe that the lost Falconnier technology was practically restored by enthusiasts, which will expand the possibilities in the field of restoration of monuments at the turn of the 19th‑20th centuries. Both of these factors – the existence of a similar constructive solution and the restored technology for manufacturing glass blocks – open up opportunities for recreating a glass barrel vault that completes the atrium of M.V. Aseev’s mansion, which is currently a museum complex.