To allow natural light but preserve privacy, Nancy Gong designed a painted scene for the front windows of a residence in New York State. photo: christopher maggio
Glass artist, Nancy Gong, has fashioned a one-of-a-kind privacy screen for a unique urban residence in Rochester, New York. The home is located in a relatively new cultural district and was once a recording studio in a commercial building. While new lofts and multiple unit living spaces have been growing in the city, new private residences have not been common. The LiDestri residence is one of the first single-family residences to be pop-up in this area and created some unique challenges that the properties of glass were able to solve.The design objective for the etched glass screen was to create art work that would provide privacy from the pedestrians and traffic on a busy urban street. Providing detail and enough contrast to be seen at a distance as well as close up was a design challenge. Gong created five colorful butt-glazed panels that line up with the curtain wall window system. Alignment of the polished glass seams and the metal frame of the curtain wall was critical. The finished panels were installed last Spring using a dry glaze railing system.
Gong used urethane paints to better withstand the temperature fluctuations in this northern climate. photo: christopher maggio
Fabrication of the etched textures for the glass panels was a temperamental process. According to Gong, “I have a small window of time to work when my resist dries. If it’s too soft it’ll blow off. If it dries too hard, it’s difficult to etch. If I try to push it, it looks bad. If I go too far, I can’t get it back. The consistently random textures all have to be created at the same time under the same environment conditions. The timing of the working window is critical. There are so many stages here that depend on the previous stage. The biggest challenge was that unforgiving glass trait so many of us are familiar with. Basically I’ve got one shot.”
The window allows light to enter while screening the interior from passers-by. photo: christopher maggio
The panoramic scenery reminds the homeowners of a favorite local state park. For painting the brightly colored panels, Gong told , “The oils I use in cold painting would not hold up to the direct sunlight. For this project, I used a urethane paint and applied some vitreous painting techniques.”
Since 1979, Nancy Gong has been the owner/principal designer of Gong Glass Works, where she designs and fabricates commissioned architectural and fine art glass projects for residential, commercial and public clients.
—Patricia Linthicum
Guest blogger Patricia Linthicum writes Looking At Glass, a blog that focuses on the use of glass in interior design and architecture.