Posted by
Elana Safronsky, Managing Editor
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 1:36 PM EDT
The answer to this question may not be as simple as you think. While it’s impossible for glass blocks to shed the mark of the 80s – their golden years – they are by no means a relic.
Glass blocks as a design feature continue to surface in both commercial and residential use, despite what seems to be a unilateral shunning by popular design magazines.
There’s something really attractive to architects and designers about a material offering the same strength, durability and insulation as a concrete wall, while letting in light and offering a look that’s presumably a lot more attractive.
Or is it? I mean, it’s glass, right? How can glass be ugly? Well, say what you will, but there’s something about glass blocks that complicates their aesthetic appeal… Is it the look of them – that wavy, bubbly pattern? Is it their application -- wrong context, or overuse? What is it?
Are glass blocks tacky? And if so, why???