The Swiss architect and designer Otto Kolb (1921-1996) was a boundary crosser in both a literal and figurative sense. In 1948, he accepted a position at the Institute of Design in Chicago and explored areas that were scarcely touched at the time: respect for nature and ecological thinking were fundamental principles for him. When he returned to Switzerland from the USA in 1960, he brought with him designs for the cylindrical glass house in Wermatswil. The villa, realized in the early 1980s, is his architectural legacy. It embodies the recurring themes and influences found in his buildings and projects: Kolb was fascinated by traditional Japanese architecture. This is evident in his debut in the USA, the Horner House (1948-1950) in Indiana. He combined organic architecture with industrial building and drew inspiration from ancient temple architectures.