Client: United States Postal Service
Location: Washington, D.C., United States
Completion date: 2013
Project Team
Other
Andrew Moore
AGC Glass Company North America
Other
Alice Dickerson
AGC Glass Company North America
Client
Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Allen Kane, Director
Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Architect
Cho Benn Holback and Associates
Cho Benn Holback and Associates
Industry Resource
Ridgeview Glass, Inc.
Ridgeview Glass, Inc.
Overview
The William H. Gross Stamp Gallery is a 12,000 square foot gallery that features an exterior wall of windows that utilize AGC Krystal Images™ glass, which is produced using high-resolution digital imaging technology and Krystal Klear® ultra-transparent low-iron glass for truer color and clarity.
Goals
Fifty-four unique historic U.S. stamps are depicted on approximately 1,500 square feet of glass, providing a striking nighttime glow that shows how the history of America can be told through stamps.
Process
The architecture firm, Cho Benn Holback and Associates, chose this specific glass for its accurate color saturation and superior resolution; installed by Ridgeview Glass, Inc., Krystal Images helped bring the stamps to life. “The biggest challenge that AGC’s Krystal Images glass solved was achieving the color accuracy of these rare, historic stamps,” said Scott Cardwell of AGC Glass Company North America. “Krystal Images can be manipulated to produce the perfect color, sometimes down to the pixel level. This allowed us to support the design team in creating a distinctive look.”
Additional Information
AGC was pleased to play a role in telling the nation’s history from a unique perspective that anyone, from the casual visitor to the most avid stamp collector, can enjoy and appreciate. “This is a defining moment for the National Postal Museum—a once-in-a-lifetime chance to create the world’s premier museum gallery dedicated to philately,” states Allen Kane, Director, Smithsonian National Postal Museum. “The William H. Gross Stamp Gallery educates and inspires people of all ages through exhibits that feature stamps as a window to the American experience.”