Now You See It, Now You Don't

With the advent of more modern, open space floor plans, glass and glass-type materials are quickly becoming a part of today's home designs. Glass can bring a more spacious feeling to a room and show off the flow of modern, clean lines by letting in natural and artificial light as well as adding continuity. Glass block in particular is imprinting home design with new products that add light, color and texture to today's modern homes.

Custom home builders now have at least three new inventive applications for incorporating glass and glass block into their home design: IBP's glass walkways, Glass Block Innovations' color-lighted glass-blocks and Pittsburgh Corning's colored blocks.

Innovative Building Products (IBP) pre-engineered structural glass flooring system provides a novel design application for flooring. Designed for easy on-site installation, this glass-walk system is comprised of laminated glass lites assembled within an aluminum grid framework. The laminated glass is available in glass lites from 12 × 12 inches and individual pieces up to 40 × 45 inches.

There are more than 30 ceramic "frit" patterns available in the laminated glass. These patterns provide the essential non-slip surface that is necessitated by building codes. Custom patterns can also be screened onto the interior glass surface. Radius corners, curves, special sizes and shapes can be ordered to specification. For more information go to www.ibpglassblock.com.

Glass Block Innovations has combined fiber optic technology with its preassembled glass block products to produce a colorful, multidimensional presentation. Combining light with glass transforms glass block walls into a piece of art. Fiber optic technology provides background lighting that is absent of the harmful rays that come from ultra violet waves, infra red rays or magnetic EMI. Additionally, since the lighting does not operate on electricity, there is no potential for heat buildup within the glass blocks. The addition of fiber optic lighting is safe and energy efficient to operate.

The technology functions through a simple process that combines color filters and a fiber optic illuminator. When the color filters or color wheel in the illuminator transmit color through to the end cables and fixtures, the color change is processed instantaneously. This rapid process of color change lends itself to a very creative lighting display. One light source can provide light for multiple locations. More information is available at www.glassblockinnovations.com.

Pittsburgh Corning has introduced color to its line of glass blocks. Squares of rosa (pink), blue and bronze glass blocks are available in 8×8×4 inch squares. These colored blocks can be combined with Pittsburgh Corning's standard line for a one-of-a-kind wall design. More information can be obtained at www.pittsburghcorning.com.