Saturday, December 29, 2007

Some REALLY Cool Glass

One product that we are really excited about using is the Pilkington Profilit Glass Channels. As architects, we often flip through the glossy architecture magazines and are seduced by some new product or material. We file it under “To Use on Next Project” in our minds and then when an appropriate application comes along, we try to incorporate it. The Profilit Glass Channel is just one of those alluring, sexy materials that we’ve tried many times, in vain, to use on projects. Finally, we will have an opportunity to use it and we have the control to make sure it stays in the project, in lieu of being “value-engineered” out.

The Profilit Glass Channel is a self-supporting cast glass channel 10” wide. They can be double glazed, with channels placed leg to leg and interlocking. The glass has a light-transmitting obscuring effect that glows at night. It can be used either horizontally or vertically, but is more commonly seen vertically.







We are working with locally with WL Hall Company to use the glass both at our front entry and at an upper level walkway. The entry location is a perfect application for the glass channels. If this were clear glass, you would be able to see through the entire house, which might be kind of cool, but also a little too revealing at times. I like the idea of being able to go to answer the front door without feeling like I'm on display. This glazing will allow light to shine during the day and will glow at night. It will become a main feature of the entry, which will allow us to downplay the front door with something very simple and basic.

The other location we are using this is at the master bedroom “bridge” to the master bathroom. We’ve debated how much privacy we need in this location. It might appear to be private in the plan, but it is open to the kitchen area and to the upper hallway. It might be quite thrilling to make a naked mad dash here, but the rest of the household might not always agree. Although privacy is needed, this is also a source of light for the upper level hallway and “away space”, so a translucent solution is needed. We were originally planning on using 3Form, another very cool product that is a translucent resin panel available in a plethora of great colors and patterns. We’ll have to save that cool product in the mental file cabinet for now.

www.tgpamerica.com/structural-glass/pilkington-profilit/

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