Designed by MAD under founder Ma Yansong, the project sits between Shenzhen’s rapidly developing skyline and Shenzhen Bay. Rather than presenting a conventional monumental façade, the complex is divided into curved pavilions that appear to rise organically from the park. The buildings are deliberately integrated into the landscape, with their roofs continuing as accessible green surfaces.

The defining architectural element is the natural local granite façade. The pavilions are clad in strips of granite approximately 2 inches thick, with each piece individually shaped to follow the complex curved geometries of the buildings. This approach creates a continuous mineral surface while allowing the façade to conform to the irregular forms.

Behind the stone skin is an advanced drainage system engineered to manage Shenzhen’s heavy rainfall. Rainwater is directed through concealed channels integrated into the façade construction, keeping the exterior visually clean while addressing the technical demands of the curved cladding.

Achieving this geometry required significant fabrication development. According to MAD, initial cost estimates for the façade were too high, prompting two contractors to compete in developing a solution within a fixed budget. The eventual system became possible after a factory developed a new machine capable of producing the required stone elements with the necessary tolerances.

The complex was delivered with China Construction Science and Industry Corporation as general contractor, while East China Architectural Design & Research Institute served as architect of record. Arup provided structural engineering, with Sasaki, Metrostudio and Shenzhen Hope Design contributing to landscape design.

Beyond the façade, the complex houses the Shenzhen Design Museum, theatres, libraries, an auditorium and a 7,000-person amphitheater, organized around a reflecting pool.

Completed in July 2026, Shenzhen Bay Culture Square demonstrates how advanced stone fabrication can transform highly complex geometry into architecture that appears almost geological, making the façade feel less like an applied building envelope and more like part of the landscape itself.

The post MAD Completes Shenzhen Bay Culture Square After Eight Years appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The investment also reflects EDL GLASS’s focus on production reliability and lead-time performance. With two Glaston tempering furnaces now in operation, the company is better positioned to accommodate increasing customer demand while maintaining consistent quality and dependable delivery schedules.

The post EDL GLASS Expands Tempering Capacity with Second Glaston RC Series Furnace appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The building’s identity is defined by its fragmented facade, where a collection of independent architectural “houses” are arranged vertically to form a three-dimensional urban landscape. Rather than a single large volume, MVRDV breaks the complex into smaller elements, each with its own shape, colour, material palette, and architectural character. This approach creates a facade with multiple scales and visual layers, reflecting the diversity of the surrounding Shatoujiao neighbourhood.

The design is based on the Vertical Village concept, first developed by MVRDV and The Why Factory in 2011 and published as a book in 2012. The concept explored how rapidly densifying Asian cities could maintain the individuality, social connections, and spatial diversity of village environments. In Bihailou Art Village, this idea is translated from residential units into a cultural and commercial setting, where each function receives its own architectural identity.

The facade composition takes inspiration from the local context, incorporating references to the colours, forms, rooflines, and materials of neighbouring buildings, as well as the former Bihailou restaurant that previously occupied the site. The result is a building that appears both new and familiar, creating a visual connection between the contemporary cultural hub and the existing urban fabric.

Each volume is carefully designed according to its internal programme. The multifunctional performance theatre occupies one of the largest blocks, featuring a double-height interior space, retractable seating, and a floor-to-ceiling glazed opening facing the neighbouring plaza. This allows the theatre to transform into an exhibition hall while creating direct visual interaction between indoor cultural activities and the public space outside. Smaller blocks accommodate retail units, restaurants, and bar spaces, each expressed through different facade configurations.

A defining feature of the exterior is the integration of circulation into the architecture itself. Unlike traditional commercial complexes where movement is hidden internally, Bihailou Art Village exposes its network of stairs, escalators, ramps, and bridges as part of the public realm. Each “house” has its own entrance, allowing shops, restaurants, the theatre, and the Fish Lantern Museum, which celebrates Shatoujiao’s local cultural heritage, to operate independently with different schedules.

The gaps between the stacked volumes create a series of terraces, balconies, and open-air connections, allowing visitors to experience changing views of the city while moving through the building. The circulation route culminates in publicly accessible roof terraces overlooking the Shenzhen skyline, surrounding mountains, and the bay.

At ground level, the stacked facade creates deep overhangs that provide shaded spaces for gathering and social interaction. The surrounding landscaping extends the existing plaza into the building’s footprint, reinforcing Bihailou Art Village as a civic destination rather than a standalone commercial object.

All image courtesy of MVRDV

The post MVRDV’s Vertical Village Concept Takes Shape in Shenzhen with Bihailou Art Village appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The system dynamically determines which glass should be stored or retrieved according to current orders and the workload of each loading station. Automated shuttle vehicles operate at speeds of up to 40 m/min, handling glass between 3 and 19 mm thick and sheets measuring up to 6,000 × 3,300 mm.

From warehouse storage to the designated loading point, each movement is managed through automated routing and positioning. This reduces manual handling while making better use of available warehouse capacity and keeping production supplied with the required material.

The post NorthGlass Intelligent Raw Glass Storage System appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The proposed standard builds on ASTM C1048, which currently addresses heat-treated flat glass, including spandrel glass applications. However, ASTM members say the existing standard has been used more broadly for decorative enamel products despite limitations in viewing conditions and acceptable tolerances.

Michael Saroka, chief product officer at Goldray Glass and an ASTM member, said the industry previously lacked a dedicated standard for decorative products. As a result, C1048, particularly Condition B, was often applied as a general reference for enamel-on-glass applications.

The new specification aims to address this gap by establishing requirements more specifically suited to decorative enamel products, helping manufacturers, processors, architects and other industry stakeholders assess quality more consistently.

The post ASTM Develops Proposed Standard for Decorative Enamel on Glass appeared first on GlassBalkan.

Developed by SL Green Realty Corp., with design by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), construction management by Tishman Construction and development management by Hines, the project required a highly complex façade solution capable of meeting the tower’s distinctive geometry and performance requirements.

Permasteelisa North America was responsible for the complete façade design, engineering, manufacturing and installation, delivering more than 68,000 square metres of façade across the building. The installation involved 8,743 unitized panels, produced in 1,060 different configurations to accommodate the tower’s constantly changing geometry.

The architectural concept is defined by four interlocking, tapering planes that twist upward toward the sky, creating the building’s dynamic vertical expression. The façade incorporates large vision panels with glass units reaching almost 6.7 metres in height on executive floors, providing expansive views of Manhattan. Ventilated spandrel panels finished with terracotta tiles add depth, texture and a distinctive material character to the exterior.

A major engineering challenge was the creation of the tower’s unique corner conditions. Permasteelisa manufactured 660 individually designed corner panels, each adapted to the building’s tapering profile. The façade also features nearly 35,000 concave terracotta tiles, carefully positioned to reflect sunlight and enhance the building’s changing appearance throughout the day.

Beyond its architectural impact, One Vanderbilt achieved high sustainability standards, receiving both LEED Platinum and WELL certification. The combination of advanced façade technology, energy performance and occupant-focused design has established the tower as a benchmark for high-rise construction in New York.

The post Permasteelisa North America Delivers Landmark Façade for One Vanderbilt in New York appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The roadmap, developed by the Bundesverband Glasindustrie e.V. (BV Glas) and the Institute for Energy Economics and Rational Energy Use (IER), University of Stuttgart, will be presented at glasstec 2026 in October 2026.

Prof. Dr. Peter Radgen, Head of the Chair for Energy Efficiency at IER, explained that there is no single pathway for decarbonisation because flat glass, hollow glass and specialty glass production have different technical requirements.

Key transformation routes identified in the study include:

• Electrification of glass melting furnaces: New electric furnace concepts will become increasingly important as renewable electricity expands.
• Green hydrogen adoption: Hydrogen could enable manufacturers to continue using existing melting technologies, but economic challenges remain. According to Prof. Radgen, hydrogen is currently around five times more expensive than natural gas, limiting immediate adoption.
• Hybrid furnace systems: Hybrid solutions combining electricity and hydrogen are expected to remain a permanent part of glass production, especially where full electrification or hydrogen supply is difficult.
• Renewable energy expansion: Companies are encouraged to develop their own renewable energy generation where possible, even if it covers only part of their total energy demand.
• Energy efficiency improvements: Measures such as batch and cullet preheating can reduce energy consumption and emissions.
• Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU/CCS): The roadmap highlights carbon management as necessary for addressing unavoidable process emissions, including CO₂ released during the deacidification of carbonate-based raw materials.

The study also points out that infrastructure will determine the speed of the transition. Access to renewable electricity, sufficient grid capacity, energy storage and hydrogen networks will be critical. Companies located away from planned hydrogen infrastructure may need alternative solutions.

Prof. Radgen warned that uncertainty about future technologies is already affecting investment decisions, with some manufacturers delaying furnace cold repairs. Missing a repair window could potentially lock facilities into existing technologies for another 10–20 years.

The post “Glass 2045” Roadmap Outlines Path to Decarbonising German Glass Industry appeared first on GlassBalkan.

Two new categories were introduced this year: the Legacy Leadership Award, honoring industry veterans whose expertise and leadership have shaped the sector, and the Architects’ Choice Award, selected by a panel of architects from 77 nominated projects.

The Project of the Year and Best Feat of Engineering award went to Glasshouse Theatre in Brisbane, Australia, nominated by Kuraray. Kuraray was also recognized for the Shanghai Greenhouse Garden project, which received Project of the Year Runner-Up, Best Green Project and Architects’ Choice Award.

Other winning projects included the Metro D Line Subway Extension in Los Angeles for Best Decorative Glass Application, Grund Hall at Harvard University for Best Specialty Glazing Project, and 270 Park Ave in New York for Best Glass Interior.

Among product and program winners, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope received recognition for its Series 3000XT framing system, while Pilkington North America won Best Glass or Glass Component for Pilkington SuperWhite.

The winners will be featured in the August issue of Glass Magazine and honored during GlassBuild America 2026 in Las Vegas, September 23–25.

The post Glass Magazine Announces 2026 Glass Magazine Award Winners Recognizing Industry Excellence appeared first on GlassBalkan.

Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2027, with flat glass production expected to resume in the second half of 2027. The new furnace will achieve approximately 75% electrification of the melting process, making it a major step forward in the industrial-scale electrification of flat glass manufacturing. It will operate using low-carbon electricity, supported by renewable energy supply agreements secured by Saint-Gobain in Spain.

Once operational, the furnace is expected to avoid approximately 80,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually, representing a reduction of around 50% compared with a conventional gas-fired furnace. At the same time, it is projected to save approximately 265 GWh of natural gas per year, equivalent to an 80% reduction in natural gas consumption compared with a standard gas furnace.

The FurHy project builds on the companies’ technological cooperation through the VOLTA project, a smaller-scale electrified furnace that has been operating in the Czech Republic since 2023. The pilot demonstrated the feasibility of electrification technologies for reducing emissions from flat glass melting and provided a technological foundation for the much larger Avilés installation.

The new furnace is expected to enable the production of lower-carbon flat glass meeting the best existing international standards, supporting demand from the residential, non-residential and infrastructure sectors.

The project is being developed through a technological partnership between Saint-Gobain and AGC Glass Europe and is funded by the European Union Emissions Trading System (ETS) Innovation Fund. It represents a significant industrial milestone in the transition toward lower-carbon glass manufacturing and supports Saint-Gobain’s ambition to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The post Saint-Gobain and AGC to Build World’s Largest Electric Furnace for Flat Glass appeared first on GlassBalkan.

The new colour options are now available not only for the S-Class solid core composite doors, but also across Hurst’s GRP composite doors, GRP fire doors, and uPVC door panels. The launch follows the company’s investment in dedicated in-house paint facilities, enabling faster introduction of trend-led colours while ensuring greater consistency in finish quality across product categories.

According to Hurst, the latest shades were selected based on forecasts from leading paint manufacturers and evolving interior and exterior design preferences, where homeowners increasingly seek front doors that complement both architectural style and contemporary colour palettes.

The S-Class range, introduced as Hurst’s premium solid core offering, combines a solid timber core with a durable, low-maintenance outer skin, providing enhanced strength alongside a wide selection of door styles, glazing designs, and hardware options.

The post Hurst Expands Premium Sprayed Colour Range with Seven New S-Class Finishes appeared first on GlassBalkan.