The versatility of modern technology has brought art back to windows with a new era in “stained glass” while also allowing the use of modern window assembly techniques. This design trend started with window manufacturers taking advantage of the fact that most large windows require the use of laminated glass. This type of glass, similar to your car windshield, has a layer of plastic between two layers of glass. When the window breaks, the plastic is there to hold the glass in place keeping debris and damaging winds out of your building even if a large pane of glass should shatter. Now this plastic interlayer can have images printed on it!
The process is very similar to an inkjet printer. Many different looks can be achieved with the transparency of the image controlled by the darkness of colors as well as the treatment of the glass itself by methods such as frosting. An endless array of images can be utilized, from the look of traditional stained glass to a detailed print of a photograph.
This process was developed by Dupont, but has been picked up by other companies who have tweaked the process to achieve the same look with less cost. It involves printing the image on a film that is then adhered to the inside of the window, rather than bound inside the glass.
We have had the pleasure of using this technology on the first phase of a project in Mandeville, LA as can be seen in the image above and in the article on The Highway Student Ministry Center. Youth Pastor Andy Durbin selected a dramatic image to go in the front window of the building.
There is a cost increase for printing an image, but the ability to combine this art with a high-tech window makes this an invaluable option for a project such as St. Timothy that requires laminated safety glass due to the hurricane threat in their region.
