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The New Equation in Glass Design: Creativity + Technology = A Rejuvenated Building
In 2006, noted German glass designer Bernd “Bernie” Hoffmann was approached with a unique opportunity: To design a mostly glass façade for the Eiserfeld Municipal Bank illustrated with a satellite image of the entire town and its surroundings. Always ready for a creative challenge, the chance to provide “a new, interesting face for an old, unattractive building” was too strong to resist.
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He started Hoffmann GTD in 1980 as an engineering and design office and manufacturing company for glass, specializing in stained glass design and production. |
Hoffmann eventually associated himself with Interpane-Sicherheitsglas in Hildesheim, a glass production company. In 2005, Interpane was researching new methods for glass decorating, when it discovered a new technology that left everyone particularly excited: Digital ceramic printing on glass, a technique developed by an Israeli company, DIP Tech.
“As a material, ‘glass,’ to me, is like a miraculous element. It gains its spectacular design qualities by its optical non-existence,” continues Hoffmann. “Generally, graphic design is based on non-translucent, white paper substrates. On glass, a new dimension of design is added, where all images are ‘hovering’ on invisible backgrounds, while the color ‘white’ evolves to become a functional, active element.”
For Hoffmann, the advantages of this new technology quickly became apparent, as the software can process white ink, while most graphic software programs and printers do not provide white as an active color. Most layouts have to be inverted to show the actual result of the artwork.
Shortly after discovering this technology, the Eiserfeld project appeared. The project was driven by the Warstat construction company, who was looking for a supplier for the glass tiles the architect was considering, through Gil-Glas.
“Luckily, our client was open to new ideas, allowing us to design such an exciting façade,” says Oestereich Rappaport, the architect on the Eisenfeld project. “Together with the designer Andreas Bücklers from Cologne, we developed the satellite photo as the motif for the building.”
In the first stage, Hoffman and Gil-Glas discussed the general feasibility with the construction company, especially regarding the technical and economical issues. Then, the layout and file preparations were discussed with the color manager. This led to the production of a collection of samples with different appearances from which the architect chose the most appealing one.
The samples were composed with a rough black and white digital printing first, showing the satellite image, then backed with a full-area silkscreen printing, determining the main color of the skin of the building. Two larger samples were produced according to the settings of the smaller samples to provide a reference sample for the approval of the contractor, after which the production began. Without digital printing on glass, a project of this scope would not have been feasible.
Hoffmann quickly grasped how leveraging the new technology provided significant cost advantages. “The main benefit of GlassJet, (the machine used to deliver this technology), was that we could realize a large format image consisting of 295 different tiles (mainly 1700 x 1300, up to 3300 mm) without any film-production costs and without the need for multiple printing. Because the machine prints up to five colors at a time, we were able to print even multicolored images effortlessly in one run, backing it afterward.”
Initially, color development and some aspects of application training were a concern for Hoffmann, but the DIP Tech support team immediately answered any questions raised. Happily, there was no “down time” due to technology issues. The machines variable data feature greatly simplified logistical issues, allowing individual tile numbers to be embedded into all graphic images. This ensured unmistakable identification during the handling, from printing, burning and quality controlling to shipping to the installation. |  |
“We decided to use this technology because we could achieve everything we desired for the design,” concluded Rappaport. “Also, the long lasting durability and colorfastness of the print could be ensured. Since the result was so amazing and the client was totally convinced, I intend to use this technology for products in future.”
Reproduced by kind permission of DIP Tech. For more information about digital printing on glass, please visit www.dip-tech.com.
