Stacked Glass

Architect and builder Andy Byrnes, principal of Phoenix-based The Construction Zone, created an entry that is invitingly bright yet private. “We wanted light with a sculptural quality,” he says. Byrnes used a technique his firm developed years ago and has improved over time. Inspired by “cheesy stacked-glass sculptures sold in souvenir shops,” thousands of ¼-inch-thick pieces of clear glass were cut into 4-inch-wide strips and stacked using clear silicone. The glass strips form bookend corners of the foyer. Each corner ties into a custom steel window/door frame on one end and a cast-in-place concrete wall between. The translucent strips produce a wavy glow outside that subtly changes hues depending on source and quality of artificial illumination within. Inside the foyer, fractured rays of light waltz across walls and floor with varying steps as the sun moves across the sky. The stacked-glass corners are not the easiest solution, but Byrnes definitely achieved his aim of producing “something dramatic as a light source that mitigates undesirable views.”