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Decorative Glass Panels Create the Illusion of Marble

 

Who knew glass could look so much like stone! I’m a big fan of the music library at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany, where decorative glass panels create the illusion of marble.

The Folkwang Library sits on the foundation of what used to be a military hospital (and, before that, a prison and a Benedictine monastery). Designed by Swiss architect Max Dudler and unveiled in 2012, the building’s architectural concept is rooted in the notion of the ‘museum showcase’ — an exterior shell protecting the valuable contents within. The structure essentially is comprised of a concrete skeleton upon which a glass façade is attached.

While much could be said about the holistic design, from the majestic cherry wood shelving system to the central three-story tall reading room, the glass façade is, of course, the part that interests me most. This part was a collaboration between Dudler and German photographer Stefan Müller. Images of unhewn stone, taken at their original size by Müller, were applied to the inner pane of insulated glazing units on each panel of glass (twelve different images in total reference the musical notes in a chromatic scale). The result is a surface that, on first glance, appears to be elegantly fashioned from marble, thin panels set in an aluminum frame.

 

 

Look a little closer, though, and those illusions fall away. The decorative glass panels are ultimately translucent, interacting with sunlight by day (creating striking reflections of neighboring buildings) and emitting a glow from the interior by night (bringing silhouettes of patrons into view). The façade therefore continually shifts from appearing solid to transparent, depending on the light at any given moment, assuming an almost magical presence.

In my humble opinion, the Folkwang Library is a superb example of the wholly distinct and versatile qualities that glass can bring to architecture — a medium integrated to its fullest.