Architectural products manufacturer Forms+Surfaces has significantly bolstered its Surfaces program, with the recent acquisition of the Vancouver-based Joel Berman Glass Studios. Known around the world as an innovator in architectural glass, Joel Berman founded his eponymous company in Vancouver in 1980.
The studio has come a long way since its humble beginnings in a former pine cone processing factory; its kiln-cast, three-dimensional glass can be seen around the world: on the façade of 11 Times Square in New York City, in the Hamad International Airport in Qatar, and in the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, in Berman’s hometown. The sculptural patterns and textures are rooted in art and design and can be used in a multitude of related applications, including walls, columns, railings, partitions, architectural accents, and even cladding. For example, the award-winning Plank combines natural wood grain patterns with translucency, while Corrugated is a refined take on the wavy sheet metal used in constructive roofing.
Under its new ownership, the company will maintain its renowned identity, now branded as BermanGlass, a division of Forms+Surfaces. Its five lines of textured glass are a perfect complement to VividGlass, Forms+Surfaces’ existing line of laminated glass. Among the offerings are ViviChrome, featuring solid, brilliant colour; ViviGraphix, which incorporates high-resolution graphic elements, including customized options as well as supplied artwork. ViviStone mimics the gentle striations and veining of natural stone, while ViviStrata’s etched patterns are available with or without colour.
The combination of these two lines solidifies Forms+Surfaces’ position as a leader in architectural glass technologies. “It’s a great merging of resources,” says Karen Tullis, vice president of communications. “We can’t wait to see how this union of design ingenuity, collaborative passion and manufacturing expertise will evolve to bring about new innovations and help our clients transform their projects.”
This content was created by Azure on behalf of Forms+Surfaces.