A hexagonal window (also Melnikov's or honeycomb window) is a

hexagon In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexagon A regular hexagon is de ...

-shaped

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent ma ...

, resembling a bee cell or crystal lattice of graphite. The window can be vertically or horizontally oriented, openable or fixed. It can also be regular or elongately-shaped and can have a separator ( mullion). Typically, the cellular window is used for an attic or as a decorative feature, but it can also be a major architectural element to provide the natural lighting inside

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

s. The hexagonal window is relatively rare and associated with such architectural styles as constructivism, functionalism and, occasionally,

cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

History

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

hexagonal windows were occasionally used in the Northern European manor architecture of the 19th century. The concept became popular thanks to the Russian constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov, whose own famous house had 124 hexagonal windows, which were the main source of light as ceiling lights were not provided in many rooms. Cellular windows are also a feature of the Scandinavian functionalism architecture of the 1940s–1960s and are a kind of synthesis of tradition and modernism in the architecture. Today, hexagonal windows may be associated with honeycomb houses, a concept proposed by architect

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

and explore an idea of organic architecture, which considers the nature as a main source of architectural imagination.

Gallery

File:Mustosen talon ikkuna 1870 1.jpg, Mustonen House, 1870,

Joensuu Joensuu (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Karelia. It is located in the eastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Joensuu is approximately , while the sub-region has a population ...

, Finland. File:Melnikov House in MSK (img2).jpg, Melnikov House, Moscow, Russia. File:Melnikov house1.JPG, Hexagonal window with diagonal mullions, Melnikov House. File:Kerrostalo kuusikulmaiset ikkunat 1951.jpg, Vertical chain of hexagonal windows, Finland, 1950s. File:Omakotitalo kuusikulmaiset ikkunat 1960.jpg, Triple cellular window in private mansion in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, 1960s. File:Kuusikulmainen ikkuna sisäpuolelta päin.jpg, Internal view of hexagonal window. File:0S0A2055.jpg, Hexagonal window at the right bottom part of building, Finnish functionalism.

References

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External links

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