Stained glass for contemporary architecture: a discussion on stained glass in architecture

Abstract

As a material, glass is a symbolic mystical substance that once was considered precious. This frozen liquid of solid transparency has a paradoxical nature that fascinates people by the various forms it appears in. Throughout time historians portray a prevalent Zeitgeist. "The trend of thought and feeling in a period of history." (Collins, 1981) For this spirit of an age, has been demonstrated in the vertical aspiration of the ecclesiastical builders of the Gothic age, to the principles of Le Corbusier's "machine a habiter." Together this special material with an architectural or artistic expression, has, conveyed the language of medievil and modern stained glass. When stained glass, an amalgamation of coloured or diffuse glass and lead line occures in architecture, qualities reveal physical patterns symbolising abstraction, a process, and a representation of the surrounding environment. Often the overall impact is enhanced by the interaction between the glass and the building structure. Its relevance in conveying a message or mood can often develop an exciting and visually stimulating experience.