As part of a $26 million renovation of the International Terminal 5 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, design architect Epstein commissioned a decorative glass installation for a two-story interior curtain wall that serves as a partition separating secured and non-secured areas of the terminal.
Starphire Ultra-Clear glass panels fabricated by Goldray Industries line up against one another and create a continuous image that shows the gradual changes in color and texture that can be seen when heading inland from Lake Michigan to Chicago and on to Illinois’ rural cornfields. The panels were created with Dip-Tech digital printing technology, which uses a flat-bed printer to print high-resolution images on glass.
The panels depict lakes, shallow shores, city buildings, and farmland in a collage of rectangles and squares. The art was inspired by NASA satellite imagery. Transparent rectangles filter natural light from windows and skylights without diminishing the curtainwall’s privacy function.
Related Stories
Cladding and Facade Systems | Oct 26, 2021
14 projects recognized by DOE for high-performance building envelope design
The inaugural class of DOE’s Better Buildings Building Envelope Campaign includes a medical office building that uses hybrid vacuum-insulated glass and a net-zero concrete-and-timber community center.
Fire-Rated Products | Oct 21, 2021
Safti First Fights Through Assertions Made By Plaintiffs Ely Holdings Limited And Greenlite Glass Systems That Safti First’s Fire Rated Floor System Infringed On Their Patent
In a summary judgement dated February 3, 2021, Chief Magistrate Joseph C. Spero of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the patent infringement claims filed by Ely Holdings Limited (Ely) and Greenlite Glass Systems (Greenlite) against SAFTI FIRST, a USA fire rated glass and framing manufacturer, could not proceed to trial, finding that the SAFTI FIRST’s fire resistant floor does not violate Ely’s patent.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 1, 2021
Specifying Responsibly to Save Birds’ Lives
Realizing sustainable, bird-friendly glass design
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 1, 2021
Seizing the Daylight with BIPV Glass
Glass has always been an idea generator. Now, it’s also a clean energy generator.
Glass and Glazing | Sep 30, 2021
Plans move forward on Central Place Sydney, duel towers with an AI-driven façade system
SOM and Fender Katsalidis are designing the project.
Glass and Glazing | Aug 24, 2021
Smart glass innovations for smarter buildings
Researchers explore the use of ultrathin photodetectors and augmented reality thin films to expand smart building applications.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 2, 2020
Top Glass and Glazing Products for 2020
Viracon's Thermal Spacer and YKK's YWW 50 TU Thermally Broken Window Wall are among the 7 new glass and glazing products to make Building Design + Construction's 2020 75 Top Products report.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Nov 12, 2020
Fire Rated Glass Makes Visual Connectivity Possible, Beautiful and Affordable at Campus Housing
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 20, 2020
Retaining Fallingwater’s Iconic Connection Between Indoors & Outdoors
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Sep 29, 2020
Glass helps Calgary Central Library convey collective and community
