Preserved Cannon Foundry Wrapped in a Glass Box Makes for a Striking Modern House

True, the people who live in this exquisite <a href="http://inhabitat.com/residence-bunny-lane-adam-kalkin/">glass house</a> shouldn't throw stones, but they <em>should</em> brag. Not only is their home, designed by <a href="http://www.natkevicius.lt/">Architectural Bureau G.Natkevicius & Partners</a>, made from the carefully renovated architectural remains of a cannon foundry from the middle ages, it also has a gorgeous (and contrastingly modern) outer shell. The end result is a beautiful building that is very much like an artifact preserved under glass, except instead of being in a museum, it's a place for people to live!

The home is located on a site near Vilnius, Lithuania, and based on an original structure that served as a cannon foundry back in the Middle Ages.

What the original structure looked like.

The old yellow brick lodge was preserved lovingly by the architects along with its rustic basement, which would make a killer <a href="http://inhabitat.com/shipping-container-penthouse-with-an-empire-state-building-view/">loft in NYC</a> (brick walls all around!).

They took the "preservation" even further by literally wrapping the entire original building with an <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/naturhus-an-entire-house-wrapped-in-its-own-private-greenhouse/">outer construction of glass</a>.

Quite appropriately, the home belongs to a banker/antique book collector, and the brick-lined basement makes a wonderful backdrop for a <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/indonesian-health-clinic-library-constructed-from-traveling-containers/">library</a> of ancient books.

But remember, there is more space on the basement level than what originally existed (thanks to the glass addition), so the remainder is occupied by a Turkish bath, rest rooms and a garage.

On the ground floor, there is a spacious living room, a kitchen, a dining room and a wardrobe.

The kids' bedrooms also occupy the first floor, while the master bedrooms are in the attic.

Aside from being a protective layer, the <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/naturhus-an-entire-house-wrapped-in-its-own-private-greenhouse/">glass walls</a> also offer breathtaking 360 degree views of Pavilniai Regional Park that the home sits on. And we think it's pretty obvious that the amount of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/daylighting/">daylighting</a> this thing gets cuts down on electricity big time.