London is a global city that has brought people together from all over the world for centuries. It’s a bustling place that welcomes millions of tourists every year who come to absorb the architectural delights, old and new, that line the city’s tight winding streets. In the past we have referenced many buildings looking at how they have made a mark on the city and wondered how they will impact its future. The buildings we usually focus on tend to be those of a grand scale like The Shard or The Walkie Talkie. However, this week, we are shifting our attentions to a new compact building that is leading the way in achieving a sustainable future for the city on a smaller scale.

The City of London Information Centre that sits just in front of St Pauls Cathedral and was opened to provide visitors and tourists all the answers they need when they are trying to navigate the city. The design of this building is rooted in energy-efficiency with the buildings designer – Make Architects – taking all of the measures necessary to ensure that the building exceeded Part L of current Building Regulations C0² targets by twenty per cent. In order to achieve this, the building has been created using a variety of energy saving materials such as energy-efficient glass, a highly insulated building envelope and a highly sustainable geothermal heating system. The beauty of the building is that it demonstrates how a brand new energy-efficient building can stand amongst historic structures without overshadowing the beauty of them.

Here at Pilkington Building Products we are keen to encourage consumers to think about the energy-efficiency of their own homes and draw inspiration from new buildings like the City of London Information Centre. Working alongside architect George Clarke we have developed a simple list of measures that people can follow to ensure that their homes meet green standards set by the government. These energy saving tips include a variety of actions from the fitting of energy-saving light bulbs to reducing the temperature of your central heating by one degree, ensuring your central heating thermostate is not set above 19°C , to installing energy-efficient glazing like Pilkington energiKare™. All of our tips are simple and can be implemented over a period of time and once they have been applied to a home they will help to improve its energy rating and help to reduce the cost of both your heating and electricity bills.

Further information on how to improve the energy rating of your home can be found on the House to Home website here.

The commercialisation of Christmas over recent years has seen the more traditional themes associated with this time of year play second fiddle to Santa and his elves. However, those of you who enjoy a good Nativity play or Carol service will be familiar with the classic stained glass windows that hang in almost every Church and Cathedral in the UK.
It’s difficult to pinpoint where the best stained glass windows in this country are, simply because there are so many, however we have unearthed a few examples for you to enjoy.

Kings College Cambridge

The stained glass windows lining the walls of Kings College Chapel in Cambridge, a place renowned for its annual authentic Carol service is a great place to start. As the picture below reveals, there is close attention to detail and multiple images on show in this mass display of colour.

Canterbury Cathedral

Another of England’s more traditional city’s Canterbury, also boasts a world famous cathedral that is glazed with impressive stained glass displays. Most depict impressions of famous biblical stories, and none are more detailed than the illustration of Jesus and his disciples fishing, which dates back to medieval times.

Anglican & Metropolitan Cathedrals Liverpool

The stained glass windows in the unique Cathedrals of Liverpool reveal how glass can be shaped to fit buildings with contrasting architecture. As the images reveal, the more traditional design of the windows in the Anglican Cathedral illustrate biblical stories and the fact that the building was pieced together over a long period of time. In comparison the tubular stained glass of the newer Metropolitan Cathedral expresses the ideals of 20th century architecture and reflects colourful light onto the alter below.

Here at Pilkington we have a range of glass that includes decorative glass and we regularly supply householders who are looking for something different in their glazing with these products. Whether your home is a converted chapel or a ten-storey high apartment, we can provide both tinted and decorative glass that will inject colour into your windows and the rooms they adorn.

Journalist Simon Brooke, who has written pieces on architecture for The Times and FT amongst others, joins us this week as our guest blogger. He has written a fantastic article on alternative uses of glass in the home, be sure to check out his for more information about his work here www.simonbrookemedia.com.

Alternative Glass Designs

Strikingly modern, elegant and versatile – it’s hardly surprising that glass has always held such appeal for designers, furniture makers and architects. Its design heritage is remarkable, ranging as it does from Victorian stained windows to Art Deco Lalique ornaments and lamps in the 1930s, right through to the work of contemporary designers who are using state – of – the – art Pilkington glass in modern furniture and glass roofs.

Now, as a result of new technological developments and innovative designs combined with glass’s most obvious property – its transparency or translucency which allow it to make any room feel lighter and more spacious – the boundaries are increasingly being pushed with this traditional and yet excitingly new material. Yorkshire-born glass artist Jeff Bell specialises in the design and manufacture of unique cast glass sculpture, furniture and architectural elements to clients throughout the world.

His baths, for instance, are made entirely from glass and shimmer with light when filled with water. Bell also makes glass screens which are backlit for a stunning effect. His tables, this time lit internally, have a ghostly yet intense luminosity. Chandeliers, traditionally period pieces, become striking modern sculptures in Bell’s hands.

Pilkington glass is increasingly being used for furniture and accessories including walls and doors which can divide particular areas and insulate rooms but still give a feeling of light and space.

Glass Bath Designed by Jeff Bell

Interior designer Stephen Burden has used glass roofs to similar effect. “One client wanted to develop her living room into her garden to increase the size of her home,” he says. “We used a glass roof and glass walls and put down polished wooden floorboards which mirrored the decking outside. As a result we blurred the distinction between house and garden and let light pour into what was once a rather gloomy sitting room.”

A Glass Table Created by Jeff Bell

Pilkington Activ™ Blue would have been used as the outer pane of the IGU (insulating glass unit) which benefits from both self- cleaning and solar controlled properties. The inner pane of the insulating glass unit benefits from a low emissivity glass, which helps increase the thermal insulation of the room, helping to create an environment which can be used all year round, even on the coldest winter day. “Even when the weather is not good it works well. Our client says that she loves to sit in her new extension under her glass roof with a cup of coffee and listen to the soft patter of rain coming down around her,” says Burden.

With their flair for interior design, the Italians are also using Pilkington glass and glass from other manufacturers in new and exciting ways. Whereas the contours of Jeff Bell’s glass bathtub are smooth and rounded, designer Piero Lissoni has created a severe, angular version for kitchen and bathroom brand Boffi.
Glas Italia specialise in glass furniture, ranging from shelving units where the objects placed in them almost seem to hover mid-air to a chaise longue made from sheets of smoked glass. Tables are either ghostly and ethereal with their plain crystal tops or fun and funky when created with glass that is brightly coloured. Flexible and versatile, here, as elsewhere, glass has the power to surprise and inspire.

Simon Brooke / www.simonbrookemedia.com