When designing, architects are responding to and creating a relationship between identity, culture and architectural style. This book discusses whether the extent of the use of glass facades has increased or indeed enhanced the creation of meaningful place-making and hence, pin down the cultural identity of 'place'. It looks at the development of perceptions of glass facades in different cultures. It argues that modernist 'glass' buildings are perceived as an expression of technical achievement, as symbols of global economic success and as setting a neutral platform for multi-cultural societies - all of which are difficult for urban developers and policy makers to resist in our era of globalisation. Drawing on a number of modern and heritage design projects from Europe, the USA, the Middle East and South East Asia, the book reviews efforts of some regional towns and local places to move up the economic ladder by adopting a more 'global' aesthetic. The book argues that such distorted ambitions can lead to a destruction of a place's cohesive identity and a discontinuity of heritage with little or not social or economic gain.