The name of the structure doesn’t matter as much as the pleasure received; some may call them glass rooms or greenhouse. The uses of these glass structures very as the weather they see. The structures all contain glass allowing people a place to view the natural environment inside. These structures are mediums in which outside and inside environments are connected. For many people myself included, there is a fantasy of being in an environment that is exotic and surreal. 
	Conservatories started around the nineteenth century, a time of the Golden Age. English architecture, allowed designers to show off a different side, one that was open and enjoyable, in contrast to being useful or industrial. Conservatories were built for the wealth class. Wealth alone would not have brought about conservatories if it were not for the development of technology in heating, ventilation, iron, and glass. In addition, to the development of technology the interest in growing edible fruits, vegetables and exotic species also inspired the development. Palms were the desired tree of type, representing happiness and a symbol of wealth. To grow a palm tree in a cold climate involves having wealth no matter what. Conservatories didn’t develop without having some problems. 
	The most obvious problem being glass, which makes up most of the structure. In the 16 Th. Century bull eyes glass was very expensive. The economics of having a conservatory did not become more realistic until Louis Lucas de Nehou invented sheet glass in 1688. The problem of glass was in the winter when the water would expand between the layers of windows and break. The other issue with glass is sealing it to keep water out and moisture in. Sealing the glass also affects the heating and ventilation. Stoves were most commonly used for heating the building. The cost of heating can differ in cost depending on warm of the green house.  The glass house could be kept as warm as the rest of the house, costing a lot of money, or just warm enough to keep it from freezing, costing less. Ventilation can be solved by opening and closing the windows along with elaborate piping systems is desired. Other ways to reduce the air temperature is by having shading. This can be natural such as shade by deciduous trees, or vines. The other option is to have shades made of fabric, wood or another material that can be drawn when needed. Regulating the heat is an important part.
	The aesthetic side to having a glass room is also important. The smell of flowers during the year is reason alone for having a glass house. For every person this unique area might mean something different. For one person it may be a place to relax and enjoy, for others a place to go when it was raining. These places people can sit, talk, eat, propagate plants, sleep, relax, and work. Is it a place to show off work or a place to cultivate new varieties of plant species. 
	The elements that fill the space all add to the feel of the room. The statue in the shadows or the vines crawling the walls all give different feels. The aroma of violets and the perfume of roses engulfing the house draw one's attention to the room. The furniture adds to the feel of the space; a large table or a cozy sitting place among the flowers or a chair looking through the foliage. Depending on the size it may be a study or a vista to look through form inside the house. Furniture is a key part of the glass house, but so are the sculptures and objects that are placed within. 
	Water is a very interesting and intriguing dynamic, the sound of water falling on the roof or the trickling sound from a fountain in the middle room. One question asked by Rosemary Verey in English Garden Room is how much open water do you want? She also says that with each season there is a different mood and no one time when it will be the same. Water is the sky of the earth. Water adds a very important aspect to the landscape; it reflects the views in ways that are very different. The sounds allow are enough to make any person relax. Princess Nicholas and Von Preussen in English Garden Room like to have spotlights to luminate the stonework setting a very different mood than during the day. Others talk about how from other windows in the house they like to be able to look into the glass house and can see all the plants at night. It creates this fantasy world that allows for the house to be used at another time of day and night. Some feel it adds to the warm of the glass house when other wise it is cool. The feel of the room makes a large difference. What types of walls? How many sides of the building are glass? What color are the walls? Should the ceiling be glass or not? Should it be an extension of the house?
.	For some this room may be an extension of the house, for others it may be a house of its own. Either way, there is a balance that must be found to connect the structure to the house, and to the surroundings landscape. Since, in most cases the conservatory is an extension of the garden it should fit into the landscape rather than part of the house, as James Russell believes in English Garden Rooms. The glass room may or may not be connected to the house. The orientation of the room is a key aspect when designing a glass room. Most conservatories face south to receive the most possible sunlight, some times too much light in the summer.
	For many, a glass room in the Golden Age was a dream unless you had money. These extensions of houses are not for the added energy benefit of the house or the added value of heat that may be gained on a hot summer day but for a part of society they enriched their lives by exposing people to the natural environment while still being in a closed environment. There is no reason in our society today that aspects of glass house couldn’t be added into the design of houses from the beginning. Most of these glass house are south facing and could be a natural feature added to gain heat and energy savings. Today our technology has allowed us to develop very energy efficient windows reducing the amount of heat that is lost. Today people are using glass in every room. A glassed in room can add many benefits to any room, form a living room to a bedroom.  My parents are even considering adding on a glass room to our living room to extent the time they can enjoy the outside while still be warm. 
	The house that we live in currently had a green house at one point, but the previous owners took it off. The last couple of years my parents have been talking about putting on a green house, doubling as a sitting room. There are main benefits to making this addition. The addition would be two stories that way more light would enter the basement, which is currently shaded by the deck. My mother has a green thumb and this would allow her to extent her vegetable crops. She could start plants earlier in the spring and keep them longer in the fall.  The green house/ sitting room would face south- southwest, a perfect location to get the most sunlight in the winter.  The bugs can also be an issue in the springtime, which would provide a bug free environment. There are other advantages and disadvantages that will only be now when it happens.
	What will be the effect on the rest of the house? Will it heat the house up to much in the summer? Is it going to take more energy to heat in the winter?  I wonder what the visual effects will be from inside the house? And from the outside? The green house would be added onto the southwest side of the house, which might block the view some. If the green house is two stories, circulation of air is going to be an important part. Having window quilts will be a very important part of the design in the green house to regulate the heat and provide shade for the plants in the summer. Finding a balance between having the add green house and still making it fit into the landscape is a very difficult task. 
	I think including glass structures are important aspects of any structure. Glass connects people to the area around them. Solar energy is a source we should use, it’s free. Studies have show that when people are exposed to long periods of darkness they become more depressed. There are many benefits that are tangible, but there are other intangible aspects to having a glass room.  With our society watch TV as much as we do, an average of four hours a day, any thing to take peoples attention away seems to be a positive in my view.  It is put more elegantly by author Jane Tresidder and Stafford Cliff in Living Under Glass, “People who live under glass naturally tend to look outward, so that an interest in and concern for the environment can come more naturally to them than people encased in solid walls.” Glass Rooms can be a show room for guest and a playroom for children and a room to be enjoyed by all.