Architectural: Skyline Design: 5+
Whether it's the simple fact that it comprises five patterns, or that its creator was dubbed one of the New York Five in 1967 by the Museum of Modern Art, 5+ refers to a new architectural glass collection by legendary architect Michael Graves for Skyline Design. This healthcare-geared line is near to his heart. Paralyzed from the waist down since 2003, the architect became familiar with healthcare environments and quickly noted the lack of beauty and accessibility in these settings. This led to a passion for designing to elevate the patient experience.
"I love working in healthcare," says Graves. "It's my way of giving back." And his contribu-tions to the market are indeed elevating. The collection's five initial designs are modern, ab-stracted versions of familiar patterns with different trans-parency options to meet privacy needs: Running Bond pays homage to stonemasonry with a staggered-grid pattern; Swirl loosely references patterned terrazzo floors of historic buildings in Italy using a composition of arcs; Herringbone mimics the brick pattern of colonial walkways; Avenue depicts the energy of city streets with variegated stripes; and Circle in the Square recalls historic Roman piazzas.
In keeping with the company's commitment to sustainability, the patterns are created using its Eco-etch® technology, which utilizes aluminum oxide instead of acid for, overall, a cleaner process. The glass comes in three thicknesses and in sheets as large as 48-by-130 inches, or 44-by-126 inches if applying a translucent etch to the second side. —Sheila Kim
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