come on now, this place died!!
 

sammy,


I'm curious, why do you think it is the new [cool] material?
 

It seems to me that a large majority of new projects by high profile architects are using channel glass, ie Holl (nelson in KC), H&D (an arts center in London), Schwartz/Silver for LSU art museum, etc. It just seems to be all the rave at the moment, and I am afraid that it is demonstrating a trend in the profession towards stylistic trends in a way that we haven't seen before. Obviously, there are always architectural trends, but I feel that the current ones are more asethetic and disposable (parallel to pop culture anyone?).
 

I concure with fish,


I think it's just a new material and people are anxious to try it. with so many people using though, there will be people that use it just to use it, and then there will be those who use it where it's perfectly needed or in some other creative use.
 

samantha
do you think that in anicent days your forefathers thought cut stone and brick were trendy materials? sometimes I find that we overthink many architectural ideas and details. there are always going to be architects and people that do things to be cool or for other vain reasons. If you spend your time worrying about those poor bastards you will never have time to find something in yourself that is real and expressive of who you are. to thy self be true. my compadre.peace.
 

Gabriel-
I think that in the ancient days stone and brick were used because these materials were the only materials that they knew how to work with at the time. Nowadays we have lots of materials to work with and I think that, unfortunately, with the trend of 'starchitects' becoming ever more popular people tend to adhere more trend into their design than previously. It was a thought that occured after scanning through an architectural magazine over here and noticing several buildings attempting to stand out and be focal points in a neighborhood by using channel glass.
 

ok Sam i see your point. but like i said there are always going to be those kinds of people. the use and expression of channel glass alone does not make building or an architect trendy. While brick and stone were the only materials of the day, the way in which they were used and detailed varied between individual buildings and followed building trends. There have always been trends or "styles" of architecture and construction. i think that it is hard to stay original in a day and age in which just about everything has been done. the only thing you can do is try to "keep it real" homey. seriously don't do things because you think others will think that it is cool do them because they are cool. It is a very fine line that one must walk. The fonzy did it well on happy days but after that it was just weird and played out. keep it coming sam you are the man!
 

Yeah Gabe, it's good to get nice little discussions like this, we had them earlier and then they died out.

I agree with you about all of what you said, I am just concerned that the profession on a whole is going the way of pop culture and MTV. Truthfully, I think our whole society is going down the drain, and I guess I have always been ideal in thinking that architecture could remain pure. I mean, I think that it can, but it is very tough to do when clients are waving all of that green stuff (or over here, multicolored pictures of the queen) in your face. I am keeping it real, or trying to, but so far we haven't really had a lot of temptation, as we are still just students. Have you read any Kerouac? His characters keep it real hardcore.
 

sam
I have not read Kerouac i will look into that. And unfortunatly(for our socitey) I completely agree with you. society is going the way of pop culture in may areas of the country. I see this all the publications we are currently bombarded with. it effects architecture, people, and the morals in which we built the country upon. i have no answer to the problem only the ability to see the problem. i think.
I do believe, however, that st. louis missouri is safe from all such pop influences. We are still designing buildings that replicate buildings built before the turn of the 20th century. and they do it in ways untrue to the style and materials (mostly f'n brick). so i don't know which is worse to wake up and see modern architecture that copies itself or shoddy construction which copies (very horribly) the past. god to have a building that even thought of using channel glass and then had the budget to implement it. the reality i believe is that you have to show your clients the way and then drag them kicking and screaming to the end of the tunnel. it is a delicate and complicated process but it is the only way to get Architecture built.
 

while many of my friends have been studying in europe seeing the world throught travelers eyes i have been in a much more familiar environment. but i have tried to see different sides to this region of the country. i have found much beauty in it. suburbia leaves much to be desired but it is not beyond hope. i have lived in what i thought was a dead city for 5 months now and have found that many parts of it are very much alive or in the process of being born. cities like st. louis give planners and designers the abilty to "play jazz" and find new solutions to old problems. they just need the assistance of open minded free thinking people to create new vibrant spaces and places geared for people and commerce. and it will come from the rubble of decayed and desicrated neighborhoods and districts. i hope you are all well and making it home safe from your journies.peace
 

i wanna play. hi. fantastic posts! i've been outta the loop for a bit. i love hearing this discussion of pop vs. almost pop. i don't know if i believe that society is going totally down the drain yet. (maybe america is closer than others) regardless...this idea of "renegade" architecture is exciting. they are doing it up here in the mountains...and from what i hear it is happeneing more east of me. my word of the day is staleness. and those who are playing it safe by not challenging their context and changing times. i'm hearing more and more buzz about stl. i don't think stl is dead @ all gabe...it's building a energy that will spread soon. like many other cities. we need young fresh minds to push this energy to the front of the room. that's all i have to say.
 

My hope is that there are people like us all over the world who are sick of all the crap that is going on and that we will soon have a social revolution and turn things around!!!! viva la resistance!!!!
 

viva la resistance!!!!
 

A channel glass installation is subject to the creative interpretation of architects and designers within the constraints of the material and building codes; like other materials, it is what you make of it. A wide variety of images depending on the lighting, both natural and artificial are possible through the use of glass, in general, and channel glass, in particular, whether installed on the interior or exterior of a building. Unlike brick or stone, the translucency of glass has been shown to produce positive desired effects on student test scores and patient recovery - so the installation can be practical as well as cool. The largest Bendheim Wall Systems LINIT channel glass project in the USA, with over 100,000 square feet of custom glass, is at the Steven Holl-designed Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, MO. If you have questions about the LINIT channel glass seen at the Shaw Center for the Arts (LSU), Pratt Institute, Sarah Lawrence College designed by Polshek Partnership, Minneapolis Central Library designed by Cesar Pelli or Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, call me, Marc Fink, at 800.221.7379 X223. Bendheim Wall Systems has more experience with channel glass than any firm in North America and our knowledgeable team looks forward to your questions regarding our channel glass, framing systems, technical details, and completed installations.