Page 34 - Between light and shade

between light and shade, TRANSPARENCy and reflection

The glass industry is now also encouraged
to develop high energy performance products
that are less reflective, thereby impairing colour
perception as little as possible. For my part, I
have been asking the glassmaking industry to
include crystallized glass in its standard product
ranges since 1990.

My awareness of the drawbacks of the lack of
crystallinity in terms of glazing dates back to the
project for the headquarters of the CNP/NPM
(Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille / Natio-
nale Portefeuillemaatschappij), in 1994 [01/320,
Fig. 5]. Albert Frère was looking for a facade in
French stone, while I had been opposed to the
use of thin stapled stone facade claddings for a
long time 16. I, therefore, needed to find an answer
that could reconcile my client’s wishes with my
own concerns for construction orthodoxy. This
is when I had the idea of using crystal clear glass,
enamelled in a “French stone” shade on the
inside and acid-etched on the outside. The result
exceeded all my expectations as it does not just
conjure up French stone, without any possible
hesitation, but also has a visual depth that is
completely new. Finally, the unattractive appea-

16 Stone slabs withstand the test of time, even when cracked,
when they are set in a full mortar bed on a wall. They “live”
on borrowed time when they are stapled at a few points and
cover facade insulation panels. Thermal shock, for certain, and
occasionally mechanical impacts, end up cracking the slabs
before they fall off.

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