PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES THEY STARTED OUT IN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, BUT TODAY, GLASS BLOCKS ARE TURNING UP IN THE HOME, FROM BATHROOM TO STAIRWELL.(Home)

Byline: FRANCES INGRAHAM Staff writer

Historically, thick glass blocks were used in residential design as a basement window treatment, primarily for security reasons but also for additional light. Like several products for the home, glass block was first designed for commercial use.

The glass blocks of today lack the chicken-wire mesh that used to be embedded in the center, but remain very strong. Their many shapes, sizes and designs give unlimited opportunities for decorative and architectural enhancement. In a 1990 survey by Builder Magazine, glass block was ranked among the most desirable interior features.

Glass blocks are particularly favored by architects and designers for creating contemporary, lavish and innovative facades, window walls, stairwells and patterned partitions. Because the blocks are clear, an open space is achieved: There's plenty of light, colors and forms are discernible and acoustic privacy is retained. Glass blocks replace the traditional barriers that confine and enclose space.

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