It was one of those things that had everyone talking. You had to see it to believe it, and it was question it seemed everyone was asking. “Did you see it?” And once you did, you were probably overwhelmed. Where would this ever be used? Could it be used? How did you get this here and what are you going to do with it?

I’m talking about big glass—super-sized, if you will. You might recall during the 2013 AIA show in Denver that Seele (now under the name Sedak) featured a laminated piece of glass that spanned 46 feet wide by 10.5 feet tall. You can take a look at it here in one of our videos from the show. At the time, I think for a lot of us, it was like nothing we’d ever seen.

Today, we can all say that big glass is here to stay. It’s no trend.

Earlier this month we heard an incredibly informative presentation during the Glass Association of North America’s BEC Conference. The focus was on oversized and complex glass fabrication and installation and included fabricators, installers as well as equipment suppliers. It offered real-life examples of working with these huge panels.

Tom Jackson of Steel Encounters spoke about big glass installation during the BEC Conference.

Tom Jackson, president of Steel Encounters, shared this video. You can really see the attention to detail, craftsmanship and engineering that has to go into installing these jumbo units.

That’s just one example. Other companies are also taking on jumbo-sized glass projects. Pioneer Cladding and Glazing Systems also participated in the BEC panel discussion. Here’s a video that details their work on a recent jumbo project as well.

The industry has come a long way in these past four years. We’ve gone from looking at these massive units and wondering how and where they might be used, to finding new opportunities.

This is definitely something to watch—I mean look at what’s happened in just four years … the technology has advanced, awareness has grown and more companies are adding on these capabilities here in North America. It truly is the next big thing.

And yes, we love to see your project images and videos. You can email them to me at erogers@glass.com.