Issue 46 April 25 web - Flipbook - Page 109
Glass with a Soul - Why
Mouthblown Window
Glass is Irreplaceable in
Historic Preservation
In a world where efficiency often trumps authenticity, there remains a quiet yet radiant material that
continues to preserve the character of our most cherished historic buildings: mouthblown window glass.
Made using centuries-old techniques, this glass does not merely fill a frame—it breathes life into a
façade. It shimmers with irregularities, dances with the daylight, and restores the soul of an architectural
era long gone.
For conservators, architects, and heritage building owners,
understanding the value of handmade glass is essential.
Not only does it embody historical truth, but it also fulfills
today’s demands for energy performance, durability, and
aesthetics.
Authenticity in Restoration
When historic glass is replaced with modern float glass, a
building loses more than just original material. It loses
texture, optical movement, historical coherence. The
façade becomes silent.
The Window as a Time Capsule
Windows are not passive architectural elements. They are
living witnesses to time, narrators of historical context.
The way they capture, diffuse, and reflect light defines the
atmosphere of a room and the external impression of a
building. The glass within them-particularly in historic
buildings-was never flat, perfect, or sterile. Its beauty lies
in its organic surface, tiny air bubbles, gentle ripples, and
soft shimmers. These features are not flaws; they are
signatures of a craft.
The restauro® line of mouthblown glass is designed to
complement and restore the aesthetic integrity of historic
windows from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century.
Each sheet is unique, made by skilled glassmakers using
the cylinder-blown method: A molten glass bubble is
shaped into a long cylinder, cooled, cut open, reheated,
and carefully flattened. This labor-intensive process results in glass with subtle irregularities that are the same as
original historic panes.
Mouthblown flat glass such as restauro® by Glashütte
Lamberts in Waldsassen, Germany, is still produced today
using traditional tools and processes unchanged for hundreds of years. This alone is rare. In fact, in 2023, UNESCO recognized this method as Intangible Cultural
Heritage—a powerful testament to its cultural and
historical significance.
Whether used in baroque palaces, neogothic churches,
or early 20th-century villas, restauro® helps reunite
frames, façades, and interiors with their authentic visual
identity.
Below, flatten the glass cylinders,
