When it comes to decorative glass, it seems like there’s always something new to amaze me. Take, for example, a glass installation project recently completed at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma, Wash. You see, there’s more to it than just a great display of glass artwork; it’s actually glass artwork about glass artists.
Moon Shadow Etchers located in Sandy, Ore., produced twenty-one art theme walls for the Hotel Murano and each of the hotel’s floors is dedicated to one internationally recognized glass artist. These glass walls tell the story of each artist, their inspirations and creative processes. Interior design firm Corso Staicoff of Portland, Ore., came up with the concept and Moon Shadow Etchers worked with environmental graphic designers Ditroen Inc., also of Portland, to create the panels. The process they employed? Sandblasting photographs onto glass … check out the project and read more here: http://www.moonshadowetchers.com/murano.htm.
I was talking to Tim Frasier, founder of Moon Shadow Etchers, and he told me that they started work creating the glass panels around this time last year and they worked on it until the end of February this year. It was pretty much Tim and one other person creating the glass, working12-hour days, just about seven days a week, and only taking time off for Christmas.
To me, part of what’s so appealing about this project is that a company that makes artistic glass creations, created artwork that recognized some of the world’s most well-known glass artists, think Dante Marioni (http://www.dantemarioni.com/).
Of course, it also ties into a big trend right now in glass—imagery in glass. You can ink jet right onto glass, silkscreen glass, print on interlayers for laminating glass … all of this really shows it’s a very exciting time to be working with glass.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Mirror Musings
The Glass Association of North America’s Mirror Division meeting during last week’s Fall Conference got me thinking about the state of the North American mirror industry. It’s no secret that the North American mirror industry has seen better days. After all, so much production of the mass-produced consumer products has moved offshore. Is there any hope that it will ever return to North America? It’s not all that likely. As Lee Harrison, president of Walker Glass told me during an interview, “I wouldn’t hold my breath for it to come back.”
So what happened to the mirror industry here in North America? I went back to an article I wrote nearly eight years ago for USGlass, which talked about the state of the industry then. Let’s take a quick look back …
One struggle that John Matthews, then vice president of industrial products for Carolina Mirror (now part of Gardner Glass Products) in North Wilkesboro, N.C., talked about was the fact that primary glass manufacturers—suppliers for mirror makers—had started making mirror, too, and that lead to over-capacity.
Another deterrent, and probably the most significant, is increased competition from international producers who could turn out product faster and cheaper. As Drew Mayberry, president and CEO of Lenoir Mirror told me:
“Imported mirror and glass from countries such as China are affecting mirror manufacturers [in the United States] in two ways, neither of which is positive. First, mirror and glass parts are being installed in furniture that is being manufactured in [Asia], then packaged and shipped to the United States. Secondly, mirrors produced in China are being shipped to warehouses on the West Coast, then cut and fabricated for those markets. Both activities diminish the market available in the United States."
Producers also told me about the need for development and innovation. And today we’ve seen companies like Walker Glass and Gardner Glass Products do just that—innovate by finding ways to bring new products to the market place to stay competitive.
In last week’s mirror meeting, in fact, Tommy Husky with Gardner said at his company they don’t even consider themselves to be just a mirror company, but rather a specialty glass company. A number of mirror companies have developed new products products and are staying busy serving the architectural and design community’s decorative and specialty glass needs.
Another potential focus area mirror members talked about last week is using mirror for solar applications—another timely and significantly developing market. I know several times a week I read articles online that talk about photovoltaics and solar applications.
Maybe mass-produced consumer mirror production is gone for good. But there are still lots of opportunities for mirror producers; you just have to go out and find them.
So what happened to the mirror industry here in North America? I went back to an article I wrote nearly eight years ago for USGlass, which talked about the state of the industry then. Let’s take a quick look back …
One struggle that John Matthews, then vice president of industrial products for Carolina Mirror (now part of Gardner Glass Products) in North Wilkesboro, N.C., talked about was the fact that primary glass manufacturers—suppliers for mirror makers—had started making mirror, too, and that lead to over-capacity.
Another deterrent, and probably the most significant, is increased competition from international producers who could turn out product faster and cheaper. As Drew Mayberry, president and CEO of Lenoir Mirror told me:
“Imported mirror and glass from countries such as China are affecting mirror manufacturers [in the United States] in two ways, neither of which is positive. First, mirror and glass parts are being installed in furniture that is being manufactured in [Asia], then packaged and shipped to the United States. Secondly, mirrors produced in China are being shipped to warehouses on the West Coast, then cut and fabricated for those markets. Both activities diminish the market available in the United States."
Producers also told me about the need for development and innovation. And today we’ve seen companies like Walker Glass and Gardner Glass Products do just that—innovate by finding ways to bring new products to the market place to stay competitive.
In last week’s mirror meeting, in fact, Tommy Husky with Gardner said at his company they don’t even consider themselves to be just a mirror company, but rather a specialty glass company. A number of mirror companies have developed new products products and are staying busy serving the architectural and design community’s decorative and specialty glass needs.
Another potential focus area mirror members talked about last week is using mirror for solar applications—another timely and significantly developing market. I know several times a week I read articles online that talk about photovoltaics and solar applications.
Maybe mass-produced consumer mirror production is gone for good. But there are still lots of opportunities for mirror producers; you just have to go out and find them.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Texas-Sized Glass Applications
Next week the Glass Association of North America’s (GANA) Fall Conference will take place in Dallas. In addition to the technical meetings, the conference will include a number of presentations on timely industry topics (Click Here for the full schedule: http://www.glasswebsite.com/events/fallconference/default.asp). While the meeting days are long, there’s a lot to see and do in Dallas—and a good bit of glass at that.
For one, the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center boasts an impressive
display of overhead glazing. Naturalite manufactured and installed the skylight, which was featured on the July 2004 cover of USGlass magazine. Memphis, Tenn.-based Knedak Bobo Group served as the project architect. Gaylord Hotels wanted the resort to feature a signature glass dome, similar to the one found in the Opryland Hotel (also manufactured by Naturalite). For the job the company created a custom BMS 3000 skylight for the atrium that features a large, gold star at the top of the cupola skylight, centered in the main atrium skylight. More than 140,000 square feet of skylights was used for the total project. Typical slope glazing used ½-inch laminated glass, while vertical glazing used 1-inch insulating glass.
And if you’re more of a football fan you might be interested in the construction of the new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys (http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/), which has a projected completion date of June 2009. Dallas-based contract glazier Haley-Greer is doing the glass installation. When I talked to Letitia Barker, the company’s president, earlier this year, she was very excited about the project.
“The stadium will have one of the largest inverted-slope glazed curtainwalls in the world, and the end-zone doors are going to be the largest operable glass doors ever produced.”
Here are some other glazing details from the stadium’s design statement:
“The sweeping canted, 800-foot glass walls span the entire length of the stadium ... In contrast, the concave forms at the end zones, which serve as monumental entry areas, receive fans experiencing the building through 120-foot high and 180-foot wide retractable glass doors …the retractable roof panels travel over 400 feet along the length of the arches to rest in the open position. Simultaneously, the glass end zone walls open on each end of the stadium to transform the experience of the indoor stadium to that of an outdoor venue … Colors for the static elements of the stadium – concrete, glass, and steel – reflect the color of the materials used … clear application glass is used in order to enhance one’s understanding of the structure. The canted glass sideline walls are clear and incorporate a high tech white ceramic frit that allows a luminescent quality during both day and night.”
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, the new stadium is going to offer tremendous glazing displays. You can see more of the stadium in the video below.
For one, the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center boasts an impressive
display of overhead glazing. Naturalite manufactured and installed the skylight, which was featured on the July 2004 cover of USGlass magazine. Memphis, Tenn.-based Knedak Bobo Group served as the project architect. Gaylord Hotels wanted the resort to feature a signature glass dome, similar to the one found in the Opryland Hotel (also manufactured by Naturalite). For the job the company created a custom BMS 3000 skylight for the atrium that features a large, gold star at the top of the cupola skylight, centered in the main atrium skylight. More than 140,000 square feet of skylights was used for the total project. Typical slope glazing used ½-inch laminated glass, while vertical glazing used 1-inch insulating glass. And if you’re more of a football fan you might be interested in the construction of the new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys (http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/), which has a projected completion date of June 2009. Dallas-based contract glazier Haley-Greer is doing the glass installation. When I talked to Letitia Barker, the company’s president, earlier this year, she was very excited about the project.
“The stadium will have one of the largest inverted-slope glazed curtainwalls in the world, and the end-zone doors are going to be the largest operable glass doors ever produced.”
Here are some other glazing details from the stadium’s design statement:
“The sweeping canted, 800-foot glass walls span the entire length of the stadium ... In contrast, the concave forms at the end zones, which serve as monumental entry areas, receive fans experiencing the building through 120-foot high and 180-foot wide retractable glass doors …the retractable roof panels travel over 400 feet along the length of the arches to rest in the open position. Simultaneously, the glass end zone walls open on each end of the stadium to transform the experience of the indoor stadium to that of an outdoor venue … Colors for the static elements of the stadium – concrete, glass, and steel – reflect the color of the materials used … clear application glass is used in order to enhance one’s understanding of the structure. The canted glass sideline walls are clear and incorporate a high tech white ceramic frit that allows a luminescent quality during both day and night.”
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, the new stadium is going to offer tremendous glazing displays. You can see more of the stadium in the video below.
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