Digtally printed, fritted glass facade for 250 Oxford St, Perth

Date: 29 June 2015

250 Oxford Street, in the inner-Perth suburb of Leederville, is making a lasting impression with local residents through the use of our ‘ImagInk’ printed, ceramic fritted glass.

The glass artwork is based on an original canvas painting ‘City Lights’ by local artist Rob Forlani, who is well known for creating abstract expressionist pieces of vivid colour and depth.The artwork celebrates the vibrancy and energy of Western Australian people, and singular motifs reference significant periods in local history. For example, the numerals at the top right-hand corner for the year 1891, which represent the year when the suburb of Leederville was subdivided.

To create the printed glass panels, the painting was first photographed by Tony Nathan at ImagLab Studio, using Hasselblad high-resolution photographic equipment. Our graphic design department then subdivided the image into nine component panels to create an overall size of 7m x 4.5m.

The artwork is positioned on the northern aspect of the corner building, shielding an atrium and forming the vibrant centerpiece of the entire structure. The foot of the image is on the first floor of the building, extending upwards almost to the roof. Images are viewable from both the exterior and interior of the building.

“Each printed panel is made from 10mm low iron toughened and heat soaked glass with flat polished edges, and full-colour ImagInk ceramic print,” says Jill Howell, Cooling Brothers’ Consultant, ‘and with our new colour management software we are able to get superb colour accuracy without compromising on longevity”. The installation process was a typical structurally glazed configuration, nominated to allow the glass panels to be fixed as closely together as possible to ensure the design flowed smoothly across the full height and width of the space.

While art installations can take any form under the terms of the scheme, the success of the glazed image on the façade at 250 Oxford Street is a credit to both the Artist Rob Forlani and Developer Peci Properties, and should be a cue to other developers to also consider the merits of printed glass. Not only are such installations highly visible, but they can also be used to engage with the local community, acknowledge immediate historical legacies and traditions, and differentiate a structure from other developments.