The Library of Birmingham

As a Birmingham based company with a showroom in the historic Jewellery Quarter, we are extremely excited about the new Library of Birmingham shooting up Centenary Square. The fact that it will be a large transparent glass building further cements the fact we are big fans!

How it will look.

The project, by architects Mecanoo, began at the design stage in 2008. The construction than began last year and will run through to 2013 when the Library is due to be opened.

Below is what Macanoo have to say about this exciting, major project:

Centenary Square, the largest public square in the heart of Birmingham, currently lacks cohesion or a clear identity or atmosphere.  Mecanoo’s design transforms the square into one with three distinct realms: monumental, cultural and entertainment. These palazzos form an urban narrative of important periods in the history of the city; The Repertory Theatre (REP), a 1960s concrete building, the Library of Birmingham, designed in 2009 and Baskerville House, a listed sandstone building designed in 1936. The busiest pedestrian route in the city, what Mecanoo calls the red line, leads pedestrians into Centenary Square. The cantilever of the library is not only a large canopy that provides shelter at the common entrance of the Library of Birmingham and the REP, but additionally forms a grand city balcony with views of the events and happenings on the square. 

The Library of Birmingham is a transparent glass building. Its delicate filigree skin is inspired by the artisan tradition of this once industrial city. Elevators and escalators dynamically placed in the heart of the library forms connections between the eight circular spaces within the building.  These rotundas play an important role not only in the routing through the library  but also provide natural light and ventilation. The rooftop rotunda houses the Shakespeare Memorial Room, designed in 1882. This Victorian reading room is lined with wood from the first Birmingham Central Library. Its prominent position as a rooftop aerie makes this delicate room visible from the square. The REP with its unique and beautiful auditorium will be renovated. New workshops, staff accommodations and a shared theatre and foyer space will be created for both the REP and the library.

The Library of Birmingham is a BREEAM excellent rated building and incorporates grey water systems and ground source heat pumps. Although the Library is a transparent building, it maintains energy efficiency through the buffering capacity of the building mass and the atria. Sun shading and reflective materials within the facades block the harsh rays of the sun during the height of afternoon while allowing natural daylight into the interiors. The ground floor benefits from the mass of the soil which provides buffering and insulation. The circular patio cut out of the square creates a protected outdoor space and invites daylight deep into the building. The building will incorporate a mixed mode and natural ventilation strategy. The façade will respond to external conditions and openings will allow fresh air intake and outflow. The addition of soft landscaped roof spaces will further enhance the immediate surrounding conditions.

mecanoo.nl

Aerial photo taken of the current building work.

Current building work, viewed from the ground floor.

How the interior will look when complete.

One of the main reasons we've opened our first glass furniture showroom in Birmingham is the fact we see this cultural City as being in the middle of some really exciting architectural projects. As well as the Library of Birmingham, New Street Station is going through an extraordinary transformation into a stunning 21st century transport hub. There is also a large renovation project approaching for the Jewellery Quarter, right on our doorstep.

Glassdomain VIP Showroom Invites "hot off the press!"

We are really excited this week as we have just received the first set of our VIP showroom invites!
The invites have been produced on extra thick black ebony card, with all artwork luxuriously finished in silver foil!

We feel that the invites really reflect the quality found in our glass furniture items. If you would like take a look at some of our glass table range please just pop into our Birmingham showroom or take a look at our website on www.glassdomain.co.uk

Glassdomain Ltd
199 Warstone lane
The Jewellery Quarter
B18 6JR

Tel: 0121 236 6637

For any special glass furniture requests please send us an email  on info@glassdomain.co.uk

Meet Grand Designs awards contestent Mark Edwards

Visit our showroom on Tuesday April 19^th to meet Grand Designs Awards contender Mark Edwards. You'll also be entered in our prize draw, with 9 lucky winners getting their hands on a pair of tickets to Grand Designs Live, held at Excel London, April 30^th - May 8^th. 

Mark will make the draw at 2:30. Anyone that has visited our new glass furniture showroom before that time will have a chance of winning a pairs of tickets. It's that simple!

We've recently opened our new glass furniture showroom in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. A map can be found on our contact us page.

You can visit the Grand Designs Live website, by clicking here.

Mark's Grand Designs Awards entry can be viewed here.

  

Receive 10% off by checking in to our new showroom on Foursquare!

If you have Foursquare on your mobile device, you can now check into our new showroom in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. Anyone that does this will be able to claim 10% off their glass furniture order with us!

 

Simply show your phone to a member of our team, displaying the fact that you've unlocked our special offer and we'll knock 10% off your quote. It's that simple!

You can find our venue listing here

For more information on Foursquare, click here.

Our New Showroom Is COMPLETE!

We are delighted to be able to finally say our glass furniture showroom is now complete.

It's been a long process but one which has been thoroughly worthwhile and rewarding. We couldn't be happier with the final result and now look forward to welcoming people in and giving everyone a chance to see our glass furniture close up.

Whilst we are still to have an official launch event, something which should be happening in the coming weeks, our doors are now open to the general public. So come and see our new home in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. For more information on where to find us or to contact our team, click here.

More ICON-GLASS is fitted in the showroom

We have now fitted ICON-GLASS into the display showers and rear entrance hall of our new Birmingham showroom.

ICON-GLASS brings a whole host of new opportunities for architects and designers alike. By combining glass with a unique printing process we are now able to offer a range of products that will revolutionise interior design. ICON-GLASS splashbacks and wall coverings are extremely versatile and will work in almost any environment whether it’s domestic or commercial.

To show the flexibility of ICON-GLASS, we have used very contrasting designs in the two display showers with an underwater image and a classic wallpaper design. The idea of using an underwater scene in the shower was quite an obvious one, whilst using a wallpaper design is to show how we see ICON-GLASS as being an ideal alternative to tiling or wallpaper.

When visiting the showroom, customers entering from the car park will walk through a forest scene, thanks to ICON-GLASS. This eye catching image really showcases the potential of our exciting product.

Using the ICON-GLASS process, customers will be able to have an image of their choice digitally printed onto glass. If you would like to find out more, visit www.icon-glass.co.uk or send our team a quick message.

Furniture gets a trial run in our showroom

An impromptu photoshoot was called yesterday to get some photos which we could use to promote the opening of our new showroom in the press.

It was our first change to see certain items on display for the first time, including iconic peices from Italian design houses Sovet and Fiam. The Ghost Chair, a peice held in very high regard within the furniture industry was unveiled along with Philippe Starck's Caadre Mirror.

The Ghost Chair, designed by Cini Boeri

Yesterday was also the day we fitted our first peice of ICON-GLASS in the showroom. A local painter provided us with his wonderful Venice painting, which has been enlarged and digitally printed onto glass. We are extremely happy with the outcome and sure this peice of ICON-GLASS will be a big talking point when the showroom opens later this month.

Our Star Glass Coffee Table, The Caadre Mirror designed by Philippe Starck, and our ICON-GLASS wall art display

Our Star Glass Coffee Table, Crystal Glass Side Table and Naughtone's Portion Sofa

Remember to keep checking our Facebook page for the latest news, links and photos from us. You can also follow us on Twitter for instant updates.

 

Glassdomain makes an appearance at Interiors 2011

Glassdomain recently made an appearance at the Interiors 2011 show, displaying the Star Glass Coffee Table.

Interiors 2011 is the largest interiors trade event in the UK, which gathered together the industry’s top professionals for four day of essential business and networking. It was held at the National Exhibition Centre Birmingham (NEC) from January 23rd to 26th.

Birmingham Institute of Art & Design student Zoe Walker teamed up with Glassdomain for her Fable trend peice, in which she digitally printed her embroided textile onto vinyl to display on our Star Glass Coffee Table.

Zoe was awarded a year’s subscription to Global Color Mix magazine who were full of praise for her work. Carolina Calzada, Marketing Director, Global Color Mix – Research presented the Fable award.