DIP-Tech, the creator of the digital printing on glass technology, has recently built its new headquarters in Kfar Saba, Israel. The front of the building is made of glass, boldly adorned with a dynamic, dramatic modern design and emblazoned with the company’s slogan “A Glassic Work of Art” demonstrating the power of its unique printing system.
The glass façade features a view of the DIP-Tech production hall, which was designed to be located one metre below the street level. The main entrance to the building is on the first floor level, allowing a scenic view of the production hall upon entering the building.
DIP-Tech’s application manager Aliza Edry was responsible for translating the design into a workable large-scale building façade. “The company’s founder and director Gera Eron wanted the production hall to be visible from inside and out,” says Edry, “therefore we needed to create a shading effect with the printing and reduce solar radiation, while retaining the aesthetic aspect of the design.”
A bold statement of DIP-Tech’s vision
Gera concurs with Edry’s assessment. “As we decided to construct our own building, the façade had to showcase the immense aesthetic and practical capacities of our digital glass printing system,” he says. “I wanted to make an unspoken but bold statement, a silent, elegant affirmation of DIP-Tech’s vision to anyone entering the building or within viewing distance: This company creates the technology that breathes life into beautiful designs on glass.”
The building was designed by Eli Brostowsky, a partner at Pelleg Architects, one of Israel’s leading architectural firms. “Gera Eron found me through our website when he was searching for an architect to design his new building,” says Brostowsky. “While doing my due diligence about his firm Industrial Techno-Logic Solutions (ITS), DIP-Tech’s parent company, I discovered the GlassJet printer. I immediately grasped the vast potential of the technology and made it the central piece of my design.”
Balance of form and function
Integrating the street-facing production hall into the design was the most critical element. “The production hall design had to be both functional and beautiful, allowing for passers by to be wowed by the technology while the employees could work in a sun-protected production facility,” says Brostowsky. “Therefore we applied the ‘form follows function’ principle so that the steel structure holding the glass panes provides sun protection.”
The façade is composed of 97 panes with an average size of 1200mmx2000mm. The logistics for large-scale projects such as this are simplified as the GlassJet leverages Pixel-Blaster software, allowing for individual numbering of each pane for easy tracking.
The graphic image was created by local designer Leo Rothman. The design is both bold and subtle, featuring the colours blue, white, black and orange, as well as multiple elements demanding varying ink intensities. “When looking at the façade it seems as if more colour shades were present due to the different ink thickness designated for different graphic and image elements,” says Rothman. “There are, for instance, four different intensities of white elements alone.”
Printing the multi-colour glass design
Customisable colours and ink controls were a great help in preparing the image for print. “The flexible software that the GlassJet provides has an opacity control, which allowed me to control the ink layer thickness and colour intensity,” says Edry. The printer’s ability to print all four colours simultaneously with different ink thickness for each colour combined with the versatility of DIP Spectrum inks opened up the design’s colour depth, providing unique multiple image layers.
All files were prepared in Israel and forwarded electronically to DIP-Tech’s customer Flachglas Wernburg of Germany for for printing of the panes. “I’m absolutely delighted with the result of our efforts, both technologically and architecturally,” says Eron. “The building is magnificent, beautiful. It’s truly amazing to see all of our efforts come to fruition in such a spectacular manner.”
Architect Brostowsky is similarly excited about the project. “I think the final result of the façade is very impressive. Our firm has used printed glass before, but the old ceramic printing technology is very limited, and screen printing on glass was labour intensive and cost prohibitive. The GlassJet and DIP Spectrum inks have definitely expanded the horizon of design possibilities. I’m looking forward to using it on my next project, an office tower in Luanda, Angola.”