Glass, in its inherent properties offers full transparency, right?

Well, not always, and it offers so much more; its aesthetic can even define the culture, use and function of the most public to the most private of spaces – if used correctly.

Most spaces you go into today are dressed with some sort of glass divider, glass front system, glass doors, glass partitions, etc. Mainly, but not limited to, offices, retail showrooms and even private residences are using glass to divide, yet still allow a flow of circulation, light, vision and branding to communicate a design intent to whomever the end user of the space may be.

However, the spaces mentioned above are perfect for any glass installation as they are public and client facing; requiring an uninterrupted vista to fully engage with customers, employees or visitors. But what about private spaces; medical or veterinary spaces? Are they ousted from the multitude of benefits and beauty that a glass install can provide? Absolutely, NO!

Well, let me change my answer for a mere moment.  YES, private spaces have been ousted and have never even considered glass as an appropriate material to use where confidentially and privacy are paramount concerns, for obvious reasons.  Namely, Veterinary offices/clinics/hospitals, medical offices of any kind; dental, doctor or hospital.  Can you recall ever seeing a glass system or partition or even a full glass door in any of these spaces? I can’t.

And I get it! I, as a patient, would not want to hear what is wrong with me with the side dish of everyone staring at me or my reaction or potentially hearing the mother-load of great or not so great news.  I want total confidence that my information and well-being is between me and my doctor, that’s just it. So, translated into interior design, we get, full height, solid, acoustic gypsum board walls with a heavy solid core wood door, fluorescent lighting and about 10’x10’ room to visit with our healthcare professional; generally speaking, the vast majority of the healthcare spaces we see and inhabit today. And, further, with regard to Veterinary offices, even a bit bleaker. A much smaller room, with or without a chair to sit and a cold steel table for us to prop our pet up onto.  The design detail of both spaces is a muted bland color, hard floor and wall materials and just, in a simple descriptive word, austere. Might there be something better? Do our medical and veterinary experiences have to be so low vibrational and heavy?  

The first answer is, yes, and the material is glass and the second answer is a hard NO!

Glass systems are highly versatile, beyond your initial understanding of the inherent properties of glass. I think of a dimmer switch on a light.  The light in full property is designed to light the entire space, but sometimes, we don’t need or want the full capabilities, so we add a dimmer to control how much light we want at any time without sacrificing the full property of the light itself.  Best of both worlds; the same premise of how to use glass in private spaces as well as the most public. We are talking the range from a fishbowl (fully transparent) to light and airy, but soundproof and limited vision. 

Let’s explore that versatile range. A fishbowl is equivalent to a storefront, a café or dress shop that is meant to be fully visible from outside the space – AKA, window shopping from the street or checking out where to get a great cup of coffee.  The glass is clear, transparent, and often large, uninterrupted panes; offering full understanding of what is happening inside. This application on the interior of a space is useful when spaces need to be fully seen for security or control purposes; an office gathering space – conference room or waiting area. Again, great for public spaces. So, let’s jump to the lonely private spaces and agree that the fishbowl application would not suite an exam room (medical or veterinary) or medical consultation room, but it’s not a lost cause.  

For an exam room or confidential consult room, glass most certainly can be used. The transparency can be designed to an appropriate level of opacity just as a dimmer controls the amount of light with a wide choice of film that acts like a gradient on the surface of the glass that creates any level of visual transference.  Further, understand that if you have high ceilings and design the glass system to be full height, opacity can only rise to a certain height and the taller portion may be left transparent to take full advantage of the beauty of the transparency of a pane of glass – not sacrificing the privacy or confidentiality required to happen within.

OK, so we have nailed down the visual property of glass, but what about sound transference. Glass is not known from its acoustic properties, especially compared to an acoustic gypsum board wall and solid door. Yikes!!?

Brilliant people have thought of this and have blessed the market with fully acoustic glass systems, AKA, double paned systems that reach the same acoustic value of gypsum board and in some cases, have a higher value.  Picture this, you may have a fishbowl gathering space that is fully acoustic – you can see a sports event going on, but not hear a sound! For our medical spaces, confidentiality remains silent and unlike the color, visibility is muted.

Let’s recap quickly:

Confidentially – CHECK...

Privacy – CHECK….

Heavy design, compartmentalization – NOT ANY MORE

Dark, bleak and small exam rooms – NOPE

Again, the answer is, yes, and the material is glass.  Don’t have to re-read, glass, yes. I am not going to strain your eyes with words to describe a very visual topic, I’d rather you see and conclude what I am explaining for yourself as you too are an end user; a human that visits doctors and possibly a pet parent that will visit a veterinary office more than once.  In either case, you are in this with me and everyone else, so see for yourself and draw your own conclusion…..

One last thought, this is revolutionary and we have the means to implement, so from my expert experience as a human, pet parent and design professional, I say, it’s a GO!