“SCIENCE OF LIGHT” - Grass Valley Elementary School, Camas, Portland, Oregon,USA

in collaboration with Sarah Hall

Client: Grass Valley Elementary School
Architect: DOWA
Photo credits: A. J. Rose

Technique: Photovoltaic cells laminated between two pieces of safety glass and combined into an insulated glass unit with two layers of art glass with airbrush, sandblasting and laminated dichroic glass pieces.

"I find Peters Studios one of the best equipped art glass studios in Europe. Every technique that I have needed is possible, or soon made possible, so that the design vision can be realized - an artist’s dream!"

- Sarah Hall, Artist

DESCRIPTION: This joyful installation in the main stairwell of Grass Valley Elementary School merges the ancient art of stained glass with solar technology to produce a window that not only looks great, but teaches students about solar energy in a visible, interactive way. The energy that is gathered by two of the twelve windows is fed directly to a LED fixture, so that as long as the sun is shining the glass spiral located in the stairwell is illuminated. A secondary grid of dichroic glass offers everchanging reflections, transforming sunlight into patterns and colors throughout the stairwell.

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