Having extremely ambitious goals for the glass elements in the O’Hare Terminal 5 project, Epstein Architects turned to Goldray Industries, known for their extensive in house manufacturing capabilities and their reputation for solving complex architectural decorative glass challenges. The highly detailed graphics, designed by Thirst Communication Design convey a story of the traveler's experience, resulting in complex design details that needed a unique solution.
Included in the overall glass solution of the terminal renovation was almost 4,000 sqf (370 sqm) of digital ceramic printed glass.
The first element seen upon entering the terminal is a two story interior curtain wall that blocks entry to private areas and directs foot traffic to the security checkpoint. The color bands and geometric shapes of the designed glass were printed in a gradient to ensure the flow of natural light without diminishing its privacy function. The wall was installed using clips instead of silicon to maintain the aesthetic quality of the design, which seamlessly continues onto the printed glass wall cladding. This provides a beautiful backing to the retail shops, demarcates the restrooms, and carries on the narrative. The digital ceramic printed glass guard rail on the upper level, which is seen by both arriving and departing passengers, creates a separation between these two groups while creating a shared experience as both can see the images of the flight patterns spanning the globe.

Greg Saroka, President of Goldray Industries, said: “We worked through all the various color and design options until one met all expectations.
Using the Dip-Tech solution we were then able to fabricate this highly comprehensive, detailed project exactly how it was conceptualized and drawn by the architects.”
 
New Look for Airports Around the World
Other airports that have recently chosen to apply digital ceramic printed glass include Newark International Airport printed by Alice GGI in the United States, Dublin Airport in Ireland printed by Flachglas Wernberg in Germany and Santiago Airport by Glasstech in Chile. For Newark Airport, Voorsanger Architects had a white faded appearance digitally printed directly onto the glass interior dividers, to create privacy without sacrificing natural light.
In Dublin, Architect Susan Dunne took advantage of viewing distances so that people seeing the same design experienced a different narrative. In Santiago, Chilean artists showcased their work on digital ceramic printed glass. For more information on these airports visit: http://www.diptech.com/Project_Gallery/Airports
 
“With every panel of glass there are unlimited design possibilities and a broad range of functional applications”, commented Dip-Tech CEO, Yariv Matzliach. “With an expensive undertaking such as airport design and renovation you must get the most out of every component, including the glass. With digital ceramic printed glass there is a highly favorable cost-to-benefit ratio.”
 
About Dip-Tech
Dip-Tech is the world leader in R&D and manufacturing of Digital
Ceramic In-Glass Printers and Digital Ceramic Inks. The unmatched and
field-proven solution is designed for all interior and exterior printed
glass applications, spanning the full range of decorative and functional
requirements so that architects can offer personalized buildings with a
new level of functional performance, aesthetics and flexibility.
www.dip-tech.com