It's official! Saint Gobain Glass UK (SGGUK) are sponsoring new work plus business start-up and development.
This is an amazing new development for me at such an early stage in my architectural glass career, and I feel immensely privileged. In fact it has carried me through a very tricky first few months after graduating when even though a few commissions are on the go, the cash isn't flowing yet! So business start up funding from SGGUK has really helped get my business going. I'm also working on 2 commissions for them, both at the main Eggborough manufacturing plant. The first is for their main meeting room, and is a collaboration with fellow University of Sunderland graduate Eleanor Bird who is also receiving sponsorship. The second commission will be sited in the floor to ceiling windows of the main reception area, and is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the factory. During our negotiations we had an amazing tour round the manufacturing plant which is vast (see pictures). We saw the whole float glass manufacturing process. SGGUK pride themselves on an amazing set of 'green credentials'. They are the only company to collect cullet (glass for recycling) from their clients and pay for it. They then recycle this into the manufacturing process. Only 0.002% of their production is waste. They also seem to be a very people-centred organisation. Their MD Dr Alan McLenaghan stresses that a great deal of their success is down to respecting their people and getting the culture right. So, they seem a very good comany to be associated with! Ive already had some very inspiring conversations with Alan who is obviously very passionate about glass. I'm looking forward to more, and to finding out about the new technologies they are developing.
Tomorrow I have a site visit and hope to get the final proposals for the first commission approved. More about the artworks I'm making for them in future posts...
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