Architectural Glass Art

CONSIDERING ARCHITECTURAL GLASS ART COMMISSIONS

Architectural Glass Art - Establishing the Goals

When establishing an architectural installation the goals must be clearly defined. This is captured by either the clients or artists echoing their preferences. For instance, a client may comment on their favourite colour or the artist may display their discomfort for the little available space. Such goals are easily reached when the client and artist engage in statement- simple phrases that form a basis for which the work is being done. Two types of goal statements exist; - practical and conceptual.

Practical goal statements

• An opaque design
• To dim bright daylight
• To add colour to space
• To allow more light while maintaining total privacy
• To brighten a dull window space.

Conceptual goal statements

• To create more room
• To bring to life an overly sedate space
• To tone down an overly energetic design
• To enhance ‘cosiness’
• To beautify a boring space
• To break the monotony of mouldings and details

There is no clear line between the two goals statements and an artist crosses from one to the other without knowing it. The goal statements backstop the whole process from the initial assessment of the working space to the final installation of the finished product.

For help and information about architectural glass art please call Andrew Moor on 020 7586 8484, or contact him here.

The Great ‘Why’

This is a very important question. Contrary to a painting which exists in an empty space isolated on an expanse of white wall, residential architectural glass art depends on the design of the building, creating a harmonious relationship between art and space. The art is two dimensional where the architectural window acts as a background to space. This is more often than not achieved by abstraction. Some of the possible uses for art glass include stairways, doors, windows, room separators and shower enclosures. Glass is versatile and its use for interior and exterior design can be quite diverse. In all its uses, it brings out the best in a product that is the only one of its kind.

When choosing materials to work with, there has to be a question-and-answer process that will guide the glass colour choice, its opaqueness, the texture of the glass, the technique and the project design as a whole. For instance, one would ask why the choice of colour red. ‘The way it looks’ is not an appropriate answer. Red is chosen because the space available is large enough to withstand the magnitude of its power. Because the red against a green background through the windows brings the room to life. For a professional accomplished architectural artist, such a process is inborn.

Site Assessment

The most important thing to asses in a site is its lighting. An artist needs to become familiar with the intensity of the light and its exposure at the site. That is why you cannot expect a client to give an accurate description of the type and amount of lighting at the site, or how the lighting exposure changes in a space. Most clients would not even tell the direction in which their houses are oriented.

To get a good grasp of the lighting conditions at a site, an artist needs to visit the site at different times, both day and night. If lighting is deemed to be the problem, then the artist should consider artificially lighting the product in the best way he can- both the interior and exterior or both. Even so, a lighting expert should be consulted. One example is where Andrew Moor Associates worked with Perspex Prismex patented light technology to create a magnificent yet modern entrance to Morgan Stanley Dean Witter’s flagship U. K. office. The entrance which consists of a marble and glass corridor leading to the main reception is lighted with 16 Perspex prismex panels etched with global images and is very impressive. According to Andrew Moor, managing director of Andrew Moor Associates, “only the ultra- slim Perspex prismex system could deliver perfectly even lighting in a 50mm space. The system allows easy access to change light bulbs. This could not have been possible without Perspex prismex”.

Depending on the product, architectural style can be dominant or latent. Others e.g. modern split-level ranch, 50s colonial and even some bungalows are more subdued styles. The subdued designs give more freedom to the artist in type of the design they can propose. Designing for a period structure requires extensive research on its roots and elements of a proposed style. City libraries, historical sites, state and/or town archives as well as monuments can provide good relevant information.

For help and information about architectural glass art please call Andrew Moor on 020 7586 8484, or contact him here.

Structural requirements

Structural requirements are a fundamental aspect in architectural glass art and usually affect the design. In residential installations they range from the fixtures in the window to the glass in a moving door and to the shower enclosures where safety is paramount.

Insulated glass units in which the artwork is sandwiched between two sheets of tempered glass is becoming increasingly popular. The sandwich is then sealed around the outside with an aluminium strip that contains either silica gel, molecular sieve, montmorillonite clay, carbon or a mixture that helps absorb moisture from its interior. This kind of unit protects the structure from breakage, heavy wind blow as well as from dust particles.

For architectural glass artists, applied film is gaining much prominence. Film applications enhance the performance of glass in terms of solar performance, provides additional safety and gives the end product a sense of mystery where required. Apart from being affordable, applied films are durable, efficient a as well as diverse.

‘In my view, film is here to stay – digitally printed film, plain coloured film, dichroic film and even holographic film, as well as the many solar, safety and etched films. Not only is it surprisingly durable, even externally, film application removes some of the stress from projects enabling the structure of a building to be completed prior to the inclusion of the interior detailing.’

Film thrives in retail environment due to the mobile nature of retail, hence the continual changing of film applications is essential in its relevance. In glass design, office and leisure interiors are seen as temporary, and can be changed or redone in accordance with the client requirements. Some time back, Andrew Moor Associates installed wine bottles images for the FSA offices at Canary Wharf in green and black duatone film. Several years later, they were redone where the images were retained but the designs replaced in different colours. This was achieved through film application.

Client Management

Client management is a very critical aspect in residential commission and must be approached with utmost care. More often than not, the client may give little concrete guidance, leaving the design exclusively in the designer’s hands. There is therefore need for the artist to extract as much information on expectations and preferences from the client as he can possibly get. In this case, the client needs information on the available products and/or designs to be able to make an informed choice. It is also quite necessary to let the client aware of what is possible and/or realistic and what cannot be achieved by architectural glass art. It is always important to involve the client in all aspects especially in glass choices and this will protect them from unpleasant surprises when viewing the final product. In as much as the client should be educated, it is left entirely to the artist to decide what can and cannot be done in accordance with the clients desires. Sometimes, putting his/her foot down can save the artist from bad publicity that could have arisen from offending architecture and/or misuse of glass properties. It is unlikely that a client will be blamed for such abuse in the profession.

‘When we begin work with a client, we study the unique qualities and needs of their institution. We want the glasswork we create to reflect both the values and the spirit of the particular organization or community. Why do we sculpt artwork and carve plaques and signage on glass instead of the traditional marble or brass? Because glass glows with light, clarity and purity. It is a classic material with a contemporary feel. Like stone, it can be etched, carved, and polished. But unlike stone, it can be treated with some very innovative techniques’.

The relationship need not be contentious or even unpleasant. What is required is for the artist to put into place a design that would meet and satisfy the architectural needs and desires of the client. Each artist has his/her own way to solicit answers from questions posed to the client in accordance to their preferences. However, the question-and-answer process should be geared towards establishing a harmonious relationship between the artist and the client from which a masterpiece that enriches architecture and space is created.

In some of the masterpieces created by Andrew Moor Associates, the installation of 100 square of office partitioning for the offices of a shopping company in Oslo stands out. Together with a Norwegian artist/photographer, whose work deals majorly with sea and sky, they created an office environment joined into an exciting whole but also giving an amazing individuality and uniqueness in each area and space.

Before, Andrew Moor helped create and install five curved glass screens in a law firm in the city. The installation involved mixing film with dichroic glass to create lively feature panels. Dichroic glass is not a new phenomenon and is often adopted by lighting specialists to create a juxtapose of colours.

The most current work of Andrew Moor is to create many projects with architects that exploit the many possibilities that can be used with colour and images e.g. balustrading. There is immense potential in this area. Buildings can be converted into landmarks or back-lit paintings are adventurous and fulfilling to both occupants and passers-by which can be viewed for miles at night and at very affordable rates.

For help and information about architectural glass art please call Andrew Moor on 020 7586 8484, or contact him here.

Andrew Moore and his publications

Andrew Moor works and lives in London with his wife and children and is a renowned glass art consultant and scholar. He has immense experiences with both architectural glass art and artists. Apart from lecturing in the U.S., Canada, Italy, Germany and the U.K., Andrew Moor has also talked to architectural practitioners about the many openings for glass use as well as its history. His first book, ‘Contemporary stained glass’ was published in 1989 and explains the use of glass in architecture and design citing examples from the mid 80s through to the mid 90s. The book consolidates work done in 10 countries by more than 60 artists and is very resourceful interms of stained glass of the 1980’s.

1. Contemporary Stained Glass and Architectural Glass: A Guide for Design Professionals by Andrew Moor (Author)

This book gives a detailed description of the uses and applications of stained glass in public and residential buildings featuring amazing and stimulating projects created in the 1980’s. The book is a masterpiece illustrated with 270 breath taking photographs, giving explicit information on contemporary stained glass. Andrew Moor presents a thematic exploration of the most recent and up to date architectural uses in stained glass and summarises the current state of contemporary glass art as well as its leading practitioners.

2. Architectural Glass Art: Form and Technique in Contemporary Glass by Andrew Moor

If you want to find out more about all the techniques and architectural glass art styles available today, read this book. Moore focuses on the works as well as showing the importance of glass art in a building’s structure and style. The chapters are arranged to each provide a special feature on a renowned international artist as well as discussing their innovative designs by examples. These are compared with works of a wide range of artists. Finally the book presents relevant resources in terms of artists and studios which is very invaluable to students, designers, architects, artists and all who may be interested in the use of glass art in architecture. Of much importance is the detailed survey done on glass in its diverse form.

3. Colours of Architecture, by Andrew Moor

Are you a professional? Read this book. Colour in contemporary building is becoming exceedingly big. Traditionally, Architectural icons were basically monochrome, but this trend is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Developing technologies are creating more room for diversifying coloured glass. Andrew Moor emphasizes the nature and beauty of colour in architecture presenting some of the most excitingly colourful buildings across the globe. The book is divided into Architecture and Art where many important design philosophies and techniques like Screen Printed Enamels, Film, Lamination, and Sandblasting are considered. Renowned architects such as Will Alsop (UK), Sauerbruch and Hutton (Germany), and Jamie Carpenter (USA) and artists Brian Clarke (UK), Warren Carther (Canada), and Jose Castrillo (Spain) and their works are well presented in this book.

For help and information about architectural glass art please call Andrew Moor on 020 7586 8181, or contact him here.