I would venture a guess that this kind of construction did not happen in mass historically due to cost and materials? EDIT: (That includes manifacturing cost an

I would venture a guess that this kind of construction did not happen in mass historically due to cost and materials? EDIT: (That includes manifacturing cost and ability.) In Britain I have seen that their glass conservatories are quite popular (and many are much older), but they are typically only one room. Could it also be that the greenhouse effect was not fully appreciated until later in human history? I would also guess that glass would have been much more expensive in ancient times.