c--c | start | a novel type of channel glass by Holger Jahns, Industrial Designer, Berlin

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Constructing bent walls from glass ain’t particularly easy...

Two hands bend a strip of glass, so that it breaks, shards cover the paper.

In order to avoid shards one might decide...

One hand holds a strip and a pack of matches, the other hand heats the glass strip with a burning match.

to heat things up prior to bending...

samples of bent glass sheets standing upright

results usually look greatly better then...

...unfortunately the process is complex and therefore costly.

image source

material samples of traditional U-shaped channel glass

Using Channel Glass profiles instead is a more economic option...

Graphical demonstrations of the capabilities of traditional channel glass. One can see a bent wall built from u-shaped glass.

This material is pretty versatile – it even allows for moderately curved walls.

Illustration of gaps appearing, as soon as tightly bent walls are built with u-shaped channel glass.

There’s just one limitation: one inevitably ends up with gaps, when curves get tighter.

Illustration of gaps between u shaped channel glass profiles acting as thermal bridges.

That’s not just an aesthetic problem, but also a source of trouble in terms of building physics.

The novel c--c profile overcomes such limitations...

...with a slight modification of the profile’s shape. Please allow the animation to load

Three intersecting walls of c--c glass profiles in various colors

The update in shape grants truly unlimited access to curves.

various alignment options of c--c profiles

Go straight, turn left, turn right, form a gentle curve or crease sharply...

...all this and more is possible.

illustration of advanced uses of c--c profiles, such as letting three walls intersect or letting profiles form a circle.

illustration demonstrating alternative extrusion types of c--c

Slight variations in the profile’s shape open up further options...

...and of course the different profile types mix and match at will.

sample for transparent insulation on c--c profiles from glass.

The c--c profiles should work just fine with transparent insulation too.

various colorful c--c profiles surround a metal collumn

While the concept originally focused on glass...

c--c profiles from various different materials (such as glass, wood and metal) around a steel collumn.

...it would work quite as well in other materials – some samples to follow.

five c--c profiles in various wood sorts, such as oak and ash.

c--c profile elements: wood + insulation

five c--c profiles in fiber cement in stong colors with its characteristic surface structures.

c--c profile elements: fibre cement, various colour tints

five c--c profiles in zinc with its characteristic surface structures.

c--c profile elements: zinc + insulation

five c--c profiles in silver colored anodized aluminium with embossed surface structures.

c--c profile elements: embossed aluminium + insulation

five c--c profiles in colourful anodized aluminium with embossed surface structures.

c--c profile elements: embossed, anodized aluminium + insulation

five c--c profiles in oxidized copper with embossed surface structures.

c--c profile elements: embossed and oxidized copper + insulation

Five c--c profiles in various different material – glass, metal, wood and fibercement combined.

An invitation to play with material, surface structure and transparency.

Illustration for cold bending of glass. Two hands try to bend a strip of glass.

c--c is a prototype for a new type of Channel Glass. It was presented at DETAIL research lab, in Munich (01/2015) well as on Glasstec 2014 in Düsseldorf (10/2014). For compact printable information please down- load this PDF in both German and English. What does c--c mean and how to pronounce this expression? I won’t be much of a help here, I’m afraid. These four characters happen to retrace the outer contour of the profile, that’s about all there’s to it. Where to purchase c--c? c--c profiles are not in production yet. Holger Jahns started his career as a craftsman: after his education in metal construction he trained as a cabinet maker. He then studied Interior Design in Amsterdam and finally graduated from a master class for carpentry and Interior Design in Graz, Austria. The practical approach has remained characteristic of his work as a designer – until today, Holger Jahns sees his work as the comprehensive analysis of both material and engineering processes. Any result will be approved only when performing well on site, in hands of construction workers. Looking at the material glass, Holger Jahns was amazed by the apparent lack of smart prefabricated items for specific solutions – in comparison to other construction materials and with glass being such an environmentally friendly material. To take the peculiarity of this material as an incentive stands at the core of this design research. Besides the work at his studio, Holger Jahns has taught for several years at Universität der Künste, Berlin and Free University of Bolzano, Italy. Holger Jahns Produktentwicklung Muskauer Straße 27 10997 Berlin www.konflux.net | re@konflux.net Legal notice: c--c is patent pending, Holger Jahns holds copyright for all graphics, unless indicated otherwisely. Press kit available upon request.

presentation Holger Jahns on BAU2015, in front of Glass Industry professionals.

Presentation on BAU 2015 in Munich in January 2015, photos: Julian Weninger for DETAIL magazine

For those of you who still don’t have enough, there’s an extensive documentation of the prototyping process on the following pages.

FIN well kind of...