Client: William P. Hobby Airport
Completion date: 2009
Artwork budget: $1,000,000
Project Team
Artist
Gordon Huether
Gordon Huether + Partners, Inc.
Architect
Lockwood, Andrews + Newman
Lockwood, Andrews + Newman
Overview
Over Houston was commissioned to Gordon Huether for the connector bridge of the airport. The six 12 x 20-foot art glass panels are composed from imagery Huether abstracted from aerial photographs he shot of Houston and the surrounding area. Unique art glass techniques including etching, fusing, laminating and painting were used to fabricate the 48 individual panels that were sealed into insulated hurricane and annealed glass units. Over Houston tells a story of air travel and illuminates the unique natural and urban landscape as seen from above.
Goals
As airports continue to evolve as the town squares of an increasingly global society, savvy airport operators are learning
the importance of place making as a means to differentiate their facilities. Houston’s Hobby Airport certainly gets it.
Over Houston is a major art glass installation by Gordon Huether where vividly colored panels made up of layers of glass elements redefine the airport connector bridge. Over Houston tells a story of air travel integrated art glass windows illuminate the unique natural and urban landscape of Houston as seen from above.
Process
Huether and his team worked closely with German Master Artisan Rahmi Schulz applying unique art glass techniques including sand blasting, carving, enameling, fusing and laminating to fabricate the 48 individual brightly-colored panels that were sealed into insulated hurricane and tempered glass units. Over 4,000 hours of studio time were required to complete the project. From the inception of this project to its final installation, collaboration and steady communication with the architects of Lockwood, Andrews & Newman was a crucial component for its success. For travelers, this installation becomes a powerful art experience encountered as they move from one part of the airport to another, via the people mover or wide walkway.
Additional Information
Huether observed, “When traveling by air, I have often been amazed by the different patterns and colors formed both naturally and by man’s manipulation. Rows of crops, natural grasslands, and cars on a highway all become part of the view surrounding us, which is revealed only when viewed from above.”