Architectural Glass Design🎨

The Spring edition of The Glazier, published by the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass, is out now. We originally reached out to share a large European project we’ve completed, which unfortunately cannot be unveiled until Spring 2027. In the meantime, the team kindly offered to feature us anyway. Our article explores the story of Proto Glass Studios: our journey so far and the direction we’re heading next. It reflects on our history, the values that shape our work, and our vision for the future. Take a look to learn more about what drives us and where we’re going. .uk/ #ProtoGlassStudios #TheGlazier #StainedGlass #ArchitecturalGlass #Craftsmanship

We’re proud to have collaborated with artist Sophie Hacker on her four Elements windows — a project that brings together colour, light and material in a truly striking way. We are delighted for Sophie that the windows have been nominated for the Art + Christianity Award, and are looking forward to celebrating at the award show tonight in London. Best of luck to everyone involved this evening 🤞 #ProtoGlassStudios #SophieHacker #StainedGlass #ArchitecturalGlass #ArtAndChristianity

🎨✨️World Art Day✨️🎨 Glass is more than a material — it’s a medium for artistic expression. This World Art Day, we’re celebrating some of the artists we’re fortunate to collaborate with, whose ideas, creativity and vision shape every project we produce. Our role is to help bring those ideas to life in glass — combining craft, technical expertise and close collaboration at every stage. #WorldArtDay #GlassArt #ArtistCollaboration #ArchitecturalGlass #ProtoStudios Martin Donlin – Creates bold, impactful imagery enriched with intricate details that reveal themselves on closer inspection. Image of the Great Hall, Coleridge College. Kirsty Brooks – Produces site-specific works for museums, colleges, hospitals, and public spaces, each thoughtfully shaped by the history, atmosphere, and purpose of its setting. Image from One Maidenhead by Get Living. Catrin Jones – Brings a distinctive vision through vibrant colour, rich texture, and abstract forms, interwoven with graphic symbols to create striking contemporary public art. Image from Ogmore-by-Sea village hall. Sasha Ward – Explores pattern and repetition in large-scale designs, drawing on the shapes and proportions of surrounding architecture. Image from The Centre, Livingston.

🐣✨ Happy Easter from Proto Glass Studios! ✨🐣 We wanted to share these joyful little chicks, captured from a very special collaboration with artist Róisín de Buitléar @roisindebuitlear at Gaelscoil Lios na nÓg, Ranelagh, Dublin. Róisín worked closely with the children through a series of workshops, where their ideas and imagination helped shape the final glass artwork. These playful chicks are just one small detail from the window — full of life, curiosity, and a sense of new beginnings… the perfect Easter symbol 🌼 Wishing everyone a bright, creative, and hopeful Easter! #artineducation #printedglass #artinschools #artglass #happyeaster🐣

INTRODUCING THE SHORTLISTED ARTWORKS FOR THE A+C AWARDS 2026: Sophie Hacker Elements Windows St Antony’s Priory Chapel, Durham, 2025 The Chapel at St Antony’s Priory was built in 1990. Although the window faces north, it functions liturgically as an east window. It has stone mullions and transoms that form the three crosses of Calvary, and Sophie Hacker incorporated this happy accident into her interpretation, adding a Glory around the central cross, defined by a sandblasted circle. The use of the circle also enriches the theological reading of all the windows. Sophie’s response to the chapel’s commission was to interpret the space as a font, with its steeply raked, eight sides. This provided the inspiration to draw on the elements, using Water for the principal east window, and Earth, Fire, and Air for the remaining three. In Earth, the circle breaks into a line of abstracted trees, and symbolises the incarnation. In Fire, the circle emerges from the heart of the flame, evoking the rising sun and resurrection. In Air, a golden yellow evokes the beating of angels’ wings. In this window, the circle frames the host during the eucharist. Sophie experimented with various types of enamel, eventually choosing a transparent kind which, when combined in double-glazed units with a specialist clear glass called ‘Artista’, provided all the clarity and translucency that the trustees were seeking, whilst also significantly enriching the transmission of light into the chapel. Artista has a fractured structure which is somewhat like the surface of the very finest, mouth-blown flash glass. The finished result has been met with universal delight by the trustees, visitors, and all those who use the chapel regularly. During the dedication service, one trustee expressed their impression that the windows seemed to have always been meant to be there. The sunlight that streams through each window changes the atmosphere of the chapel throughout the day, and throughout the seasons. The windows have also added greatly to the liturgical and spiritual impact of the chapel. Photography: Sophie Hacker @sophiehackerart @protoglassstudios

My St Antony’s Priory windows in Durham. Shortlisted for the 2026 A+C Awards.

We’re delighted to see Harbour Lights Cinema, Southampton recognised in the Twentieth Century Society’s Coming of Age 2025 list — celebrating significant buildings that have reached the 30-year milestone and are now being considered for national listing. For Proto Glass Studios and Martin Donlin, this project holds particular significance. The architectural glass artwork at Harbour Lights was one of our earliest collaborations — the beginning of a creative partnership that would go on to explore and experiment with architectural glass across many projects. Thirty years on, it’s a reminder that good design — and meaningful collaboration — really can stand the test of time. /news/twentieth-century-society-proposes-harbour-lights-cinema-southampton-for-listing #HarbourLights #Southampton #ProtoGlassStudios #MartinDonlin #ArchitecturalGlass

@protoglassstudios #awardseason #glass #enamel #art #glassart

This #WorldBookDay, we’re celebrating the power of words—and how they shape the spaces around us 📚✨ Looking back at our work on Newcastle Library, created in collaboration with local artist Kathryn Hodgkinson, the installation ‘Four Questions’ captures the voices of the community—sharing thoughts on happiness, fear, change, and hope. Among the many voices, one particular message stands out when asked what brings happiness: “Kids reading and learning” ❤️ #GlassArt #LibrariesMatter #architecturalartglass #ArchitecturalGlass

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus to you all. If you go down to Haverfordwest today, you’ll see my Tidemarker piece lit up with a special colour palette for St David’s Day. Enjoy the fiery version. All made possible with @jpld @protoglassstudios @architainment and @cleddauelectrical #haverfordwest #pembrokeshire #architecturalglass #publicart #stdavidsday

Tidemarker is a glass and steel waymarker installed by the Western Cleddau river in Haverfordwest. This work grew out of a desire to celebrate the cargo shipping history of the last century. Ships arrived at high tide with tall masts, visible above the buildings of the inland port. At low tide, passage across the river was possible with a horse and cart. The work has an internal lighting system that rises and falls with the tide at this location and reflects the way the tide drove the pace of life in the town. The lighting was designed by James Poore @jpld and engineered and produced by @architainment with installation by @cleddauelectrical . The structure was expertly engineered by Marco Rossi at Glass Ltd and evolved and manufactured by @booth_and_son and David Proto. Manufacture and installation was by long term collaborators @protoglassstudios and the piece was delivered and craned into place by Andrew Lee. The work was commissioned by @pembrokeshirecountycouncil and Heart of Pembrokeshire and project managed by Ruth Jones. Funding came from @ukgovofficial . Many others assisted and gave wise input. Thank you to everyone - a brilliant team. #haverfordwest #pembrokeshire #westwales #publicart #architecturalglass

We’re proud to have connected and commissioned the lighting for this incredible new artwork in the heart of Haverfordwest, a feature that pieces together the rich history of the town’s shipping trade. The impressive installation stands tall on the riverside, just outside the library, telling the story of the vessels, trade and industry that shaped our hometown. The lighting isn’t just for show either… It’s programmed to reflect the tide 🌊 🔹 Fully illuminated at high tide 🔹 Half lit at mid tide 🔹 Subtle at low tide A feature that connects the past to the present and even to the movement of the river itself. Brilliant to be part of a project that celebrates local heritage while bringing something modern and interactive to the town. Congratulations @kirsty_brooks_artist on the completion of the project, @protoglassstudios on the impressive print and installation and to Wai at @architainment on the lighting design👏🏻 #Haverfordwest #Pembrokeshire #LocalHistory #ShippingTrade #publicart