What about the glazing program and working
to those deadlines? Aren’t there ever issues
with lead times?
JB: Getting toughened glass within short periods
of time isn’t the issue it once was. Glass fabrication
facilities are now so much more advanced. We can
receive orders in time frames that would have been
inconceivable 10 years ago. The production lines
are that much more efficient. We can have glass
staircases if we want. Twenty years ago you would
wait six months for those. It’s only a matter of weeks
now provided it’s all well planned. It’s a very different
ball-game.
Is there anything else you learn from
The Glasshouse experience?
JB: Well I’m the first to say I don’t know everything,
which is different from never being wrong. I learn
on the job. When I start a project I’m one of the
dumbest, by the time I finish, at least I’ve got some
idea, but there is always plenty to learn. I enjoy that
process. I really do. That’s part of the excitement
of these projects. Glass especially is one of those
materials evolving rapidly and revealing new
possibilities. Glass is so often the key to unlocking
a really beautiful space. It wouldn’t matter how
gorgeous the brick walls were, we couldn’t do it
without that quality glazing and window frames.
A repertoire of light, fresh air
and lean material palette.