Glass Structure
For centuries, the public and private sectors have hired architects and artists to create landmarks that make a statement, commemorate an event, memorialize a person or persons, or draw the public’s attention — to move them, make them think, or pique their imagination.
Notable glass structures include a 36-foot memorial in Madrid, a cylinder made of 15,600 glass blocks that honors the victims of the city’s 2004 terror attacks. In Bangkok, “The Glass Fortress” is another dramatic glass structure that serves as an entryway to a large condominium complex with a street-facing “secret garden” enclosed by 20,000 glass bricks. The Liège-Guillemins train station in Belgium is also exemplary in its use of glass blocks. Its architects dispatched the darkness associated with train underpasses, replacing it with a brilliant, elegantly curved canopy of glass blocks set in steel.
Circle Redmont is proud to be an engaged partner when artists and architects want to include glass block or glass brick in their structural statements. Whether a sculpture, a tower, a fountain, or other project, we have the products — as well as the engineering expertise and manufacturing experience — to make even the most challenging and complex glass structure a reality.
When we say “partner,” we mean it. Circle Redmont starts by understanding the vision of the creators. We then move on to recommend the Circle Redmont product or products to suit the structure. And if we don’t have the right solution, we’ll create it. Circle Redmont can custom engineer the glass blocks, glass bricks, or panel system to suit any structural project. We’ve yet to meet a challenge we cannot meet. Because panels can be attached together, there is virtually no limit on how large a structure made of glass block can be. Most importantly, our 60 years of experience in glass block manufacturing ensures the products we design and produce meet or exceed every safety standard.
Your Partner for Iconic Glass Block Designs
A customized version of Circle Redmont’s 91R™ Glass Pavers & Metal System makes up the facade of the Crown Fountain at Millenium Park in Chicago. The design of Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, this interactive video sculpture features a black granite basin bookended by two 50-foot glass brick towers.
Circle Redmont designed the glass brick panels as well as the structural framework to make the project feasible. Each tower consists of 44 5’ x 15’ and 5’ x 23’ panels, inset with 5’’ x 10’’ solid glass bricks. Inside the towers are massive structures of waterproof LED screens (with more than a million lights) that display a constantly-changing series of images — the faces of real Chicagoans — through the glass bricks. The towers also contain a pump system that circulates 11,000 gallons of water every hour out of and down the facing towers. This Chicago landmark illustrates the visual and structural potential of partnering with Circle Redmont.
Circle Redmont also had a hand in creating one of the world’s tallest glass block towers — and the “most photographed building” — in Miami Beach. Constructed in 1995 in a neighborhood known for its iconic art deco architecture, 404 Washington Ave. features an eight-story cylindrical “Light Tower” that incorporates 6,000 square feet of Circle Redmont glass block, our Elite Glass Block Panel system, which is pre-grouted and features classic hollow blocks in keeping with the art deco style. At night, the silo is lit from within, alternately displaying both colorful patterns and images and is an architectural icon of South Beach.
To learn more about our structural capabilities and past projects, reach out to Circle Redmont today. We can’t wait to collaborate with you.
