If you want an architectural glass artist to provide something truly exceptional for your property, either built into the fabric of the building or filling the space as a stand-alone object, there are some fine examples of glass sculptures all around the world to take some inspiration from.
However, if sheer size is one of the factors that impresses you and might be enjoyed by your visitors, a glass sculpture in Quezon City in the Philippines has just been recorded by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest of its kind in the world.
As the Manila Times reports, The Mangrove, an installation at the five-star hotel Solaire Resort North, has been officially classed as the largest glass tube installation in the world.
The sculpture is 25.4 metres high, 19.16 metres wide and 24.2 metres deep. It took the glass architect four years to plan, craft and then install in the central atrium of the hotel.
Originally meant to resemble a tree, it took on a more interactive role as the design process unfolded, said Samantha Drummond, chief designer of the Solaire Resort North’s interiors.
The design now “allows people to go through it and be immersed in the piece. It is more of a structural and sculptural element and integral to the architecture of the building,” she remarked.
Such features indicate that this sculpture is not just about size, but elegance and artistry, making it a grand focal point and fascinating interactive feature, no doubt the envy of many hotels.
According to the Guinness World Records, the largest glass sculpture of any kind is the nine-metre by 20-metre chandelier at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
You may not want a sculpture anything like that big, but the scale of these record holders shows it is possible to be very ambitious both when it comes to dimensions and to originality of design.