Corporate Headquarters
Hunt Consolidated, Inc.
Dallas, TX
For a project that never got built, this was one of the best experiences of my career. I was selected as one of two finalists. Both finalists were allowed to create a Final Design for the interior wall separating the top floor dining room (solid glass wall on its other three sides) from the kitchen areas. After the Preliminary Design, I was inspired to create a competely new design for the “Final” Design. The day I was notified that my design had not been selected, I was making revisions to that final design. The excitement, enthusiasm and creativity that the owner and staff brought to the presentations made them something I will never forget. It is hard to imagine, but the fact that this turned out to be another “close but no cigar” situation cannot take away from the gratifcation and friendship that evolved during the experience.
GALAXY I and GALAXY II: 16’-0” by 16’-0”
German mouthblown glass, lenses, dichroic glass with etching. lead and solder.
From explanatory notes that accompanied the designs for GALAXY:
CONTEXT
The building itself stands as an amazing sculptural form as do the spaces defined within. An obvious approach was to echo and reiterate the architecture, especially the parabolic curves resulting from the intersection of cylinder with curved wall. The window framing itself might provide cues to the glass art design. I soon concluded, however, that an architectonic approach would be unsatisfactory on several levels. It would be superfluous to restate the soaring effortless architecture that is already dazzlingly complete and self confident. To do so would likely result in caricature. Here is an opportunity to to contribute a sense of discovery and contrast to the architecture, much as do the Foucault pendulum, fossil specimens and, of course, the ceiling mural.
Instead, I began thinking of the Art Wall as an aspirational counterpoint to the architecture. Rather than naively duplicating architectural details, this wall will be an unexpected and ever-changing surprise to those visiting the Treaty Room. It will be a sparkling extension of the ceiling mural much as a splashing, glistening water feature accents an atrium garden.
NASA photographs used as inspiration for the project.
Our decision to use mirror to subtly illuminate the glass art will expand it into a truly three-dimensional experience allowing it to interweave into the overall space with its emphasis on light, changing views and allusions to our limitless universe. The mirror will add a feeling of aperture or window complete with apparent views through and a sense of spacial flow. The slight angle (approximately 8.5˚) between the nine facets of the Art Wall will further animate an already lively experience as reflected views and overlaps shift when one moves past.
GALAXY I
Several of Aspirational’s metaphors listed above conveniently resonate with the starry imagery in the Ceiling Mural. At this stage the Preliminary Design abstractly pays special homage to the starry imagery in the Ceiling Mural, as well as with more down to earth imagery such as flowers, flight and flame.
The first effort at duplicating the parabolic arch of the building’s exterior glazing was rejected, but the general movement created by the design’s linework still expands upward, but not as you’d plot a parabola in geometry class. This upward expansion of the brighter glasses in the design adds and uplifting, encouraging aspect to the design.
A number of abstracted shapes have been woven into the design. Anyone who studies the design will see their own meanings. Over time they will discover new details as lighting and their perspective changes. Some of the imagery that inspired this design include sunrises, comets, galaxies, nebulae, auroras, feathers and flight, flowers and petals, etc. without being so conspicuous that the design becomes stagnant and obvious.
This design relies on a very sophisticated glass palette with many secondary and tertiary hues ranging from relatively dark colors to very light tints. In addition there are a number of clear, colorless, textured glasses as well as white glass.
There is a wide range from the darker colored glasses in the lower areas to the light airy glasses in the upper areas. Often the darker glass will be obscure, becoming apparent only in bright light. This will add a rich contrast to the brightening of the palette as one’s eye drifts upward in keeping with the aspirational motif.
A number of the glasses shown on this design are a type of French mouthblown glass called opal glass. These glasses are have a filmy white layer that reflects as well as transmits light. In contrast with the other transparent glasses, the opal glasses will project as figure to the others glass’s ground.
GALAXY II
Although there are a number of new ideas and emphases in the new design, the ones listed below are the most obvious and important:
1.
The new glass palette is composed primarily of differently textured clear glasses, filmy white glasses, dichroic glass accents, lenses and etched glass. This more light and airy approach will take full advantage of the mirror and its illusion of "views" through the wall and spacial flow. Ray's idea about the possibility of reiterating the stars in the Sky Mural on clear (not colored) glass using etched "stars" and laminated lenses was a very good one! Tom's enthusiasm for "sparkle" and color, should be satisfied by dichroic glass accents and lenses. We may want to consider using some limited, strategically placed pale tints of color, but this is barely addressed in this iteration. In any case, the new palette will produce a Glass Art Wall with excitement and interest, but without competing for attention with other elements in the Treaty Room as Judy was afraid they might.
2.
The primary thematic influences on the new design are galaxies, nebulae and stars. Although the melding of other, non-celestial imagery seemed like a good idea at the time, this more focussed approach helps to more smoothly integrate the glass art into the fabric of the overall space. This still allows for an inventive and creative design and should give the Glass Art Wall a much stronger sense of place and appropriateness. The emphasis will be on the spiraling compositional movement that Dana and Brian liked in in the old design. Ray’s comment about zooming in on one arm of a galaxy instead of the whole thing was a help.
3.
This design relies on a framing system without interior horizontals. Also, the framing finish is shown as clear anodized (non-reflective, matte-finish aluminum), or, possibly with a white powder-coat finish to match the adjacent wall color. NOT dark bronze anodized. This will help blend the structure with the other windows in the building and eliminate high contrast between art glass and frame. It will also maximize the light that reflects through the installation. Within each vertical column of glazing, the stained glass will be divided into smaller panels by mostly diagonal divisions that will make them relatively undetectable.
