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Bird Friendly Buildings Have Spider Web Stained Glass Windows

stain glass panel, povey glass, atkinson church

Two thousand years ago, in Roman times, glass making was high technology and used to make all manner of luxury items. The best work made artisans rich and respected as great masters. Roman glass is still very valuable and collectible.

The Romans took glassmaking the farthest, sucessfully incorporating the Syrian blow pipe innovation and using minerals to 'vitrify' the glass mixture, which means to make clear glass that is free of colour. They were the first to use a specific mineral called pyrolusite which was mined in the mountains behind Carthage.  In the Classical Period, it's belived the trade in this mineral was controled almost exclusively by the Carthiginians. This shiny rock is named 'pyro luce' which is  Latin for 'fire' and 'wash' to clear glass. Today we know this mineral is composed of manganese dioxide which is a compound still used in modern glass making.

roman glassmaking

What's most interesting to me, is that the art of making glass was lost after the fall of Rome.  Because it was such a carefully guarded practice in the first place, it rather easily became forgotten when Roman society failed.   The Celts, Huns, Goths would capture and trade for the glass utensils, cups, lotion containers, olive oil 'bottles', perfume dispensers and wine decanters, glasses, vases, and pitchers and glass bowls, but after the fall of Rome they had no idea how to make them.  For one thousand years these items were considered the highest objects d'art, equal in value to the gold or silver utensils they replaced.

Glassmaking was not progressed until almost one thousand years later by Venetian craftsmen on the Isle of Murano.

Island of Murano, Venice, glass blowing, history

The History of Glassmaking is a fascinating subject because it's such a web of secrets. And in many ways that continues today with glass companies still making breakthroughs and creating better and better glass products. Corning Glass co and Pyrex Industries and other companies have trademarks patents and plenty of industrial secrets. Both are working on the next generation of super glass, including touch sensitive glass for Surface electronics, more advanced high temperature thermal glass for aircraft industry, and high impact safety glass or bulletproof glass.

High tech products like Smart Glass which is window glass that can be darkened or brightened on command or made opaque, is probably today's foremost high technology achievement.  Sony has developed picture window projection screens which are just coming on the market today, that are sure to change the appearance of every main street in America, and shopping mall window displays. 

Ornilux Glass for Bird Friendly Building

Most improessive, Arnold Glass company has made Ornilux which is 'ornithologically superior glass' which was developed in USA in support of an emerging bird friendly building trend all over the world.  This is glass that birds can see, becuase it looks like spider webs to them, and so they wont fly into its reflective surface.

bird friendly building, sunroom and patio enclosureThe Max Planck Institute for Ornithology supported the development of ORNILUX by conducting extensive field testing in the Radolfzell Bird Sanctuary to investigate a bird’s ability to recognize glass sheeting. Based on these test results, ORNILUX can now be recommended to architects or builders to minimize the effects of bird-strike in buildings having large glass installations without requiring the use of visual barriers which are disturbing to people.

Cincinnati Solar Glass can generate small amounts of energy to power fans in new age residential sunrooms, or heat water tanks in full spectrum hydroponic greenhouse environments.

And modern day Venetian glassblowers on the Isle of Murano probably still don't share their secrets with Genoese, Milanese or Florentine craftsmen who'll find any excuses to visit their neighbours' furnaces.

Post by on July 3, 2013

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