How insulated glass changed architecture

No pane, no gain. Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don’t miss any videos: Today, it’s easy to take big glass windows and doors for granted, whether they show up in commercial buildings or in our homes. But this use of glass is, at its core, a technological breakthrough that changed how we live and how our buildings work. As Thomas Leslie explains, insulated glass shaped the look of the 20th century. Big but poorly insulated glass windows went out of fashion as electricity allowed for the production of artificial light. Builders needed a new way to install windows that let in natural light, but also controlled heat. Insulated glass was that solution. As the above video shows, the invention of a branded glass, Thermopane, and its immediate competitors, led to the landscape we recognize today. Further Reading: In this paper about the development of insulated glass, Thomas Leslie explores the history of the enclosure. Flickr groups can be a great tool for finding old ads. The “Vintage Advertising” group includes some great examples of old Thermopane ads: You can also find ads for Twindow: The video in this film, American Look, is a 1958 look at the cutting edge of design. It’s still a gorgeous film and includes some great predictions (as well as some interesting incorrect ones). Make sure you never miss behind the scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here: is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines. Check out Support Vox’s reporting with a one-time or recurring contribution: Shop the Vox merch store: Watch our full video catalog: Follow Vox on Facebook: Follow Vox on Twitter: Follow Vox on TikTok: @voxdotcom