https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/rejecting-the-ribbon-window-experimentating-with-fenestration/

In his 1927 manifesto, Five Points of Architecture, Le Corbusier made horizontal windows a core concept of his architectural philosophy. These long narrow windows which could wrap around the façade’s length like a ribbon, he argued, were the best way to offer evenly light spaces throughout a building without compromising privacy. Le Corbusier’s ‘ribbon window’ (highlighted in emblematic projects like his Villa Savoye) quickly became a staple of modernist architecture. From schools to office buildings and apartment blocks, the ribbon window became somewhat omnipresent.

One hundred years later, in a step that follows a similar logic yet moves away from Le Corbusier’s iconic signature, architects continue playing with new configurations for fenestration. Whether by de-emphasizing the horizontal nature of windows or experimenting with different shapes, sizes and compositions, architects are moving towards more tailored and idiosyncratic approaches to fenestration design.

https://www.archdaily.com/911540/6-schools-that-defined-their-own-architectural-styles

Architectural education has always been fundamentally influenced by whichever styles are popular at a given time, but that relationship flows in the opposite direction as well. All styles must originate somewhere, after all, and revolutionary schools throughout centuries past have functioned as the influencers and generators of their own architectural movements. These schools, progressive in their times, are often founded by discontented experimental minds, looking for something not previously nor currently offered in architectural output or education. Instead, they forge their own way and bring their students along with them. As those students graduate and continue on to practice or become teachers themselves, the school’s influence spreads and a new movement is born.

https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/architecture-projects-illuminated-by-glass-block/

Since its invention in the late 1800s, glass block has been touted for its ability to illuminate. The material’s prismatic quality means that it more effectively diffuses light into space compared with sheet glass. In the early twentieth century, as modern architects looked to industrial materials for inspiration, glass block acquired a newfound aesthetic importance, becoming a hallmark of streamline moderne architecture. Pierre Chareau’s Glass House (1928-32) in Paris, with its façade entirely composed of glass blocks, is the building most associated with the material.

Postmodern architects reclaimed glass block in the 1980s and 1990s, using the material in every permutation from subway stations to residential kitchens, and leading many to decry the material. Now, the core benefits of better-quality light, economic construction and translucency have helped glass blocks to make a comeback in contemporary design, particularly in luxury projects. The following five projects demonstrate the various applications of glass blocks in contemporary architecture, from elegant mountain spas to university classrooms and art galleries to sales centers.