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Advertising supplement provided by Pittsburgh Corning

Lighted Glass Block as Wayfinder

In designing the interior of the parking garages, however, there was the matter of helping people find their way through them quickly and safely. Hartman-Cox Architects, the Washington-based firm which designed Garage A in association with HNTB Corporation, also wanted to maintain the feel of the Art Deco period inspired within the initial airport terminal building, which opened in 1941. (Cesar Pelli & Associates was the design architect for Garages B and C, and were required to continue the design parameters established by Hartman-Cox.) "Very early on, in the conceptual stage, we considered using glass block and stainless steel as materials that would relate well to the original terminal," said Graham Davidson, AIA, of Hartman-Cox.

"That's how the idea of using glass block began," Davidson added. "We started with the vertical elements of the garages - the elevator towers - and using the glass block, turned it into a virtual wayfinder system. Then, we continued that theme with small wayfinder devices - information pylons - throughout the interior of the garages."

According to Feil, "The lighted glass block helps to herald the points of entry into the garage, and helps people find their way to their destinations. We also have signage, primarily as a second point of identification. But people can clearly identify the glass block towers as points of entry and exit. Through the glass block and its lighting, we're conveying to people that 'this is the way to go.'"

For the stair tower enclosures, Hartman-Cox chose pattern glass block, which has a smooth, undistorted face allowing maximum light transmission and ultimate visibility. "We used a glass block pattern where we wanted an ability to see all around and emit as much light as possible, both for safety reasons - people can clearly see out or in - as well as for aesthetics," said Davidson.

Using the 8-by-8-inch glass blocks as the chief component of a wayfinder system had to be explained to authority officials, according to Feil. "We had to convince them that glass block was the best solution," he said. "We were able to demonstrate that the glass block manufactured today is lighter and brighter, and by using back lighting, it would really sparkle," Feil said. "It really looks terrific."