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A glass block Tailor Made capable of softening direct sunlight while reflecting a magical myriad of small Buddhas in prayer. For the new "Buddha Lecture Room", a religious library in Taichung, Taiwan, designed by architect Daniel Tai and currently under construction, Seves supplied 9,700 glass blocks of which 1,800 were customized with an ad hoc design requested by the architect. The image chosen was of the Buddha in a meditative position. |
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The design is imprinted on the glass block surface during the second phase of the manufacturing process, when the glass is in molten, liquid form. Using a special protective mask, which is applied beforehand, the glass block is dipped in a "bath" of frosting to accentuate the interplaying contrasts and chiaroscuros between the opaque treated surface and the original transparent surface of the block.
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This quick procedure leaves a lasting effect and gives the glass block new decorative possibilities that can be customized to a particular project. In this case, the image of the Buddha becomes not only the aesthetic motif that characterizes the building, but it also communicates the immediate legibility of its religious function externally, while obtaining an attenuated and evocative atmosphere internally, one that is propitious to reading and meditation. |
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