The Birth of the Glass Verandas
The incorporation of verandas and later glass verandas into buildings in Europe and the West took place after the transfer of the word veranda from the languages of the Indian sub-continent back to Europe. From Europe as the explorers and commercial interests fanned out throughout the world the veranda idea continued its journey into the Americas, Africa, Australia and anywhere where European culture asserted itself. As the idea of a veranda arrived so the raised covered areas surrounding all manner of buildings followed in its wake. These areas had existed in European architecture before but they had served slightly different purposes to the newly arrived veranda.
The first purpose of a veranda is to provide shelter. In India it was to protect from both the sun and the rain. The shelter was not just for the people who happened to be under the roof of the veranda in the heat of the day but also for the house around which the veranda happened to be constructed. The roof of the veranda would bounce the sunshine away from the house so keeping the house cooler than if no roof was constructed. It made for a light, airy and cool place which kept the temperature inside the house lower than that of the air outside.
Vasco de Gama saw these structures on his voyages to India. In his writings he described them as verandas and this seems to have been the beginning of the journey of the idea from the subcontinent into the mainstream of western architectural style. The covered areas and walkways which existed in European buildings before the advent of the veranda were developed in the temperate climates and prevailing ethos found around the Mediterranean Sea. Projecting roofs over smaller homes, cloisters in cathedrals and covered courtyards in castles and palaces had a certain utilitarian aspect to them. If they were built in an abbey they were for prayers. If they were constructed around the seat of a feudal lord they were for power broking and at home they simply kept the rain off the porch so that dirt didn’t come inside the house.
The eyes of Europe were opened by the explorers of the 15th and 16th Centuries to a world where pleasure was a way of life particularly for the wealthy Indian princes on the subcontinent. Here the sight of a covered walk way or open area with a roof to keep off the rain and sun not only spoke about a practical solution to the problem of air conditioning before the advent of electricity but also of a place where pleasure could be enjoyed to the full and entertaining carried on for family and friends alike in an informal relaxed atmosphere. This was a revelation to the European used to submitting to ideas of duty and religious observance so that any feeling of pleasure induced guilt and feelings of remorse.
The Moors of Africa were also bound by their religion and built houses which not only reflected their religious beliefs and the lack of security in that region but also the need to keep their houses cool. Their homes were built around closed courtyards with few if any windows facing onto the streets. The idea of a veranda ran completely counter to their architectural sense. It would have been to public, too exposed, morally lax and dishonoring to God.
The word veranda in European ears has an exotic quality and is associated with pleasure. It has come to represent a life style uncluttered by dreary convention and instead speaks of freely enjoying the wonder of being alive and near to nature. In England this sense of freedom and the desire to be close to nature has led to the growth of the glass veranda industry. With this one invention it is now possible to live half indoors and half outdoors, protected from the rain by the glass above and yet invigorated by being outside while eating, drinking, entertaining or simply sitting down and taking in the view of the garden.
The first purpose of a veranda is to provide shelter. In India it was to protect from both the sun and the rain. The shelter was not just for the people who happened to be under the roof of the veranda in the heat of the day but also for the house around which the veranda happened to be constructed. The roof of the veranda would bounce the sunshine away from the house so keeping the house cooler than if no roof was constructed. It made for a light, airy and cool place which kept the temperature inside the house lower than that of the air outside.
Vasco de Gama saw these structures on his voyages to India. In his writings he described them as verandas and this seems to have been the beginning of the journey of the idea from the subcontinent into the mainstream of western architectural style. The covered areas and walkways which existed in European buildings before the advent of the veranda were developed in the temperate climates and prevailing ethos found around the Mediterranean Sea. Projecting roofs over smaller homes, cloisters in cathedrals and covered courtyards in castles and palaces had a certain utilitarian aspect to them. If they were built in an abbey they were for prayers. If they were constructed around the seat of a feudal lord they were for power broking and at home they simply kept the rain off the porch so that dirt didn’t come inside the house.
The eyes of Europe were opened by the explorers of the 15th and 16th Centuries to a world where pleasure was a way of life particularly for the wealthy Indian princes on the subcontinent. Here the sight of a covered walk way or open area with a roof to keep off the rain and sun not only spoke about a practical solution to the problem of air conditioning before the advent of electricity but also of a place where pleasure could be enjoyed to the full and entertaining carried on for family and friends alike in an informal relaxed atmosphere. This was a revelation to the European used to submitting to ideas of duty and religious observance so that any feeling of pleasure induced guilt and feelings of remorse.
The Moors of Africa were also bound by their religion and built houses which not only reflected their religious beliefs and the lack of security in that region but also the need to keep their houses cool. Their homes were built around closed courtyards with few if any windows facing onto the streets. The idea of a veranda ran completely counter to their architectural sense. It would have been to public, too exposed, morally lax and dishonoring to God.
The word veranda in European ears has an exotic quality and is associated with pleasure. It has come to represent a life style uncluttered by dreary convention and instead speaks of freely enjoying the wonder of being alive and near to nature. In England this sense of freedom and the desire to be close to nature has led to the growth of the glass veranda industry. With this one invention it is now possible to live half indoors and half outdoors, protected from the rain by the glass above and yet invigorated by being outside while eating, drinking, entertaining or simply sitting down and taking in the view of the garden.
