The ongoing construction of the new wing at the Corning Museum of Glass has entered a new phase ― the renovation of the old Steuben Glass factory’s ventilator.
While most of the Steuben plant has been demolished in recent months to make way for CMoG’s $64 million expansion, project architect Thomas Phifer will preserve the ventilator, incorporating it into his designs as a nod to Steuben’s glassmaking history.
The ventilator building will eventually become a 500-seat theater for CMoG’s glassmaking shows.
The claw-shaped, orangeand- black ventilator was probably the most distinctive feature of the Steuben complex. It was used to release massive amounts of heat rising from the factory floor.
“The ventilator building is an icon of mid-century glassmaking factories,” said CMoG’s executive director, Karol Wight.
The exterior cladding is being removed, exposing the underlying steel structure. The structure will be reinforced to bring it up to modern building codes, designed to withstand wind and heavy snow. The windows, exterior cladding, and the roof - including the “claw” will be rebuilt using energy efficient materials.
When the new wing opens in 2014, the ventilator structure will provide a high ceiling and lots of natural light for the new hot glass theater.
“It will feel as if you are entering an industrial cathedral,” Phifer said. For decades, CMoG and Steuben Glass sat side-byside. At one time, museum visitors could look over the Steuben floor and watch the luxury glass pieces being made. That changed when CMoG introduced its live glassmaking shows, and Steuben closed in 2011.
CMoG released some new details this week about the planned new hot glass theater.
The space will offer 360-degree views of the glassmaking shows, and will have retractable banked seating and a gallery-level balcony running around the perimeter of the hot shop.
The hot shop will have energy-efficient equipment built by Spiral Arts in Seattle, including a 32-inch glory hole, a 1,000-pound furnace for colorless glass, two furnaces for colored glass and four 83-cubic-foot annealers, which slowly cool the glass pieces. There will also be a “cold shop” for sandblasting, cutting and engraving.
The theater will be “highly configurable” to accommodate special events and demonstrations, and the north and south walls are capable of opening into adjoining outdoor spaces for events during the warmer months.
The objective was to “build the best hotshop in the world in a light-filled, temperature-controlled environment,” said Steve Gibbs, CMoG’s senior manager of hot glass programs.
The theater is one of two main features of the 100,000-square-foot expansion. The other is a new contemporary glass gallery to house some of CMoG’s largest sculptures.
Corning Inc. is funding the new wing.
The ongoing construction of the new wing at the Corning Museum of Glass has entered a new phase ― the renovation of the old Steuben Glass factory’s ventilator.
While most of the Steuben plant has been demolished in recent months to make way for CMoG’s $64 million expansion, project architect Thomas Phifer will preserve the ventilator, incorporating it into his designs as a nod to Steuben’s glassmaking history.
The ventilator building will eventually become a 500-seat theater for CMoG’s glassmaking shows.
The claw-shaped, orangeand- black ventilator was probably the most distinctive feature of the Steuben complex. It was used to release massive amounts of heat rising from the factory floor.
“The ventilator building is an icon of mid-century glassmaking factories,” said CMoG’s executive director, Karol Wight.
The exterior cladding is being removed, exposing the underlying steel structure. The structure will be reinforced to bring it up to modern building codes, designed to withstand wind and heavy snow. The windows, exterior cladding, and the roof - including the “claw” will be rebuilt using energy efficient materials.
When the new wing opens in 2014, the ventilator structure will provide a high ceiling and lots of natural light for the new hot glass theater.
“It will feel as if you are entering an industrial cathedral,” Phifer said. For decades, CMoG and Steuben Glass sat side-byside. At one time, museum visitors could look over the Steuben floor and watch the luxury glass pieces being made. That changed when CMoG introduced its live glassmaking shows, and Steuben closed in 2011.
CMoG released some new details this week about the planned new hot glass theater.
The space will offer 360-degree views of the glassmaking shows, and will have retractable banked seating and a gallery-level balcony running around the perimeter of the hot shop.
The hot shop will have energy-efficient equipment built by Spiral Arts in Seattle, including a 32-inch glory hole, a 1,000-pound furnace for colorless glass, two furnaces for colored glass and four 83-cubic-foot annealers, which slowly cool the glass pieces. There will also be a “cold shop” for sandblasting, cutting and engraving.
The theater will be “highly configurable” to accommodate special events and demonstrations, and the north and south walls are capable of opening into adjoining outdoor spaces for events during the warmer months.
The objective was to “build the best hotshop in the world in a light-filled, temperature-controlled environment,” said Steve Gibbs, CMoG’s senior manager of hot glass programs.
The theater is one of two main features of the 100,000-square-foot expansion. The other is a new contemporary glass gallery to house some of CMoG’s largest sculptures.
Corning Inc. is funding the new wing.
