With its strong references to Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House in Illinois and Philip Johnson's Glass House in Connecticut the Doonan Glass house has a leg up in one key respect. Even though the Doonan Glass has a sleek minimalist design it is warm and inviting. This is largely due to its location, use of woods and how it is better integrated into the property. In stead of being on stilts like the Farnsworth house or many homes in high rain tropical environments this home and its pool are softly terraced into the property.
With similar weather to Hawaii you can see how the open glass design bridges the two worlds of interior and exterior often difficult to accomplish in Modern Tropical Architecture.