Think style. 
Think design. 
Think Italian. 
Think decorative glass.

A recent visit to the Vitrum architectural glass show in Milan made me do just that. An array of decorative glass exhibitors showcased how glass can be used as a decorative element, both internally and externally.

What and Where
Decorative glass comes in many forms. There is the traditional sandblasted glass with its designs. Becoming more popular is painted glass, which offers an array of design options. Much decorative glass is laminated (two pieces of glass with either an interlayer or a resin between them to bond them) and this offers a plethora of design options.

There are many applications for decorative glass. Internally, it can be utilized for furniture, partitions and walls as well as stairs and floors and as a decorative element in either residential or commercial situations.

Externally, decorative glass can be utilized as an accent or on a broader scale to create unique curtainwalls. It is also being used in Europe for highway noise control, much like cement is used in the United States.

Back in the U.S.A.
While Europeans are way ahead of the United States in terms of decorative glass use, not all decorative glass and ideas for its use come from Italy. A number of United States companies are also in the forefront of decorative glass design and have been promoting its use through their appearance at venues such as the AIA show.

Goldray Industries Ltd. in Calgary has its Technographic Interlayer, which is a film enclosed between two interlayers in a laminated glass. “It gives good high detail graphics and bold colors,” says Greg Saroka, president.

Polytronix Inc. has introduced a light emitting diode (LED) glass, as have a growing number of fabricators. The LED is embedded in the glass and makes a ‘sparkling’ effect. According to Sam Shao, program manager for the Richardson, Tex., based company, “Architects see the glass and how it works and get ideas for what they want to do with it.”

Arch Aluminum & Glass Co. Inc. has a new digital image glass that can show any image as an interlayer. Max Perilstein, vice president-marketing for the Tamarac, Fla., company, adds, “It’s also green—laminated glass helps in meeting some LEED-related categories.” Like the other North American suppliers, Nathan Allan Glass Studios Inc. offers a range of decorative glass products, including its new “pillowy” looking glass as well as its Sandpaper decorative glass. “This new pillowy-looking glass looks like glass block but it is a single sheet;” says Barry Allan, director of the Richmond, B.C., based company. “It can also be frosted.”

Two other decorative suppliers that need to be mentioned are Viracon, the Owatonna, Minn., company that offers a range of silk-screened products, and Schott, the German company with North American offices in Elmsford, N.Y., which supplies specialty glasses. Both offer an array of interesting glass products which are used for decorative effects. 

Decorative Glass Directory
For more information on decorative glass, here is website information for the companies mentioned in this article. An Internet search on the subject provides a staggering number of options.

Architects' Guide to Glass & Metal
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