The Glass House has launched Texture + Transparency, a series of six free virtual tours that offer an exploration of the Connecticut landmark, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Philip Johnson-designed property (now closed for the winter) in New Canaan, Conn., comprises fourteen structures, including the iconic modernist Glass House (1949), and features a permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions. Current online programming includes Fritz Horstman on Anni Albers, Janna Ireland on Paul R. Williams, Pioneering Women of American Architecture, and much more. 

Architectural photographer and filmmaker Michael Biondo and creative reality capture duo Michael Robison and Dallas Bennett (aka MYND Workshop) have collaborated to create an episodic series of short visual tours of the Glass House. These films are unique in the sense that they combine film and the use of point cloud technology to allow for a tectonic and artistic examination of the buildings in order to better understand the architecture and site design.

Michael Robison, co-founder and CEO of MYND Workshop, says, “The Glass House site could not be a more perfect subject to be experienced as a point cloud, providing insight into the complex relationships between the various structures and their careful placement throughout the dramatic landscape which defines the Glass House property.”

Biondo’s breathtaking video manages to capture those visceral experiences which one may come across when visiting the 49-acre property. These scenes offer the textures and light which define the sensual and emotional nature of Johnson’s work. In contrast, MYND Workshop’s animations speak to the layers and transparencies which Johnson often referred to when speaking about the design of the various buildings on the site, allowing for a design perspective that has never been seen before.