Glashaus, Cultural center in Herten, Germany

Glashaus is a cultural center in Herten designed by the Tübingen firm LOG-ID/Dieter Schempp, with a 13-meter-high glass rotunda whose galleries serve as spectator boxes during events. The building adapts to its surroundings: smooth facades on Hermannstraße and forms echoing neighboring houses at Jakobsplatz. It houses the city library on over 2,000 m² and multifunctional rooms for 120 to 350 people.

The idea came from honorary citizen Karl Ludwig Schweisfurth, who gave the city 1 million DM for planning. The first sod was turned in November 1991; the library opened in May 1994 and the whole house four months later. Construction cost 25.7 million DM (13.14 million euros).

The Glashaus takes its name from the glass rotunda that rises 13 metres through the building. Its galleries double as spectator boxes during events, and the library's rolling shelves in the children's section can be pushed aside to make room for groups. The house was the idea of honorary citizen Karl Ludwig Schweisfurth, who wanted communication and education rather than consumption at its centre.

The Glashaus sits in Herten's pedestrian city centre, with the main entrance on Hermannstraße and a second frontage on Jakobsplatz. The glass rotunda links the floors: the city library occupies over 2,000 m², and the event rooms hold 120 to 350 people depending on seating. The galleries of the rotunda serve as spectator boxes during events.

The building's climate system uses the 13-metre glass rotunda as a passive solar collector: air warmed between the ceiling and the glass roof flows into the library in winter, while exhaust air passes through the rotunda, where subtropical plants add oxygen and filter pollutants. Sensors and computers control the system, saving about 30% energy compared with conventional systems.