A recent renovation of a 5-star hotel on Lake Garda was the perfect platform to demonstrate the technical capabilities and opportunities afforded by glass processing.
The Park Hotel Imperial, situated in Limone del Garda, on the Brescia coast side of the Lake, showcases extensive use of glass elements, mainly through the processing of two types of glass: Pilkington Optiwhite™ extra clear glass and Pilkington Mirropane™ Chrome Plus toughenable mirror.
Pilkington Optiwhite™ 10 mm thick toughened and laminated glass* was used for the hotel’s external parapets, which were subsequently digitally printed to create a soft white colour effect.
The same product was also used in some of the suites’ bathroom wall partitions, which were digitally printed white to provide privacy. Thanks to its production process and the careful selection of raw materials, Pilkington Optiwhite™ is extremely neutral in colour, making it ideal for digital printing or leaving clear unframed edges.
Pilkington Mirropane™ Chrome Plus, 10 mm thick and toughened, is especially made for mirror parts. Here, processing and installation company, has used it to maximum effect – creating light and reflections that dance around the rooms. Its highly reflective coating was expertly etched and enhanced by a white panel background to create motifs of branches and leaves.
In addition, thanks to the versatility of Pilkington Mirropane™ Chrome Plus T, the fastening elements - the metal hinges and the handles - were fixed to the doors directly onto the glass, adding an attractive decorative element.
While boasting a humidity-resistant coating, which makes it the ideal product for bathrooms, Pilkington Mirropane™ Chrome Plus can be toughened or laminated to suit numerous requirements – qualities that also make it the safest choice for applications in public places. The mirrors above the sinks, for example, have been made with the same product making it the obvious alternative to traditional mirrors.
The choice of Pilkington Mirropane™ Chrome Plus was made because the customer requirement was for large mirrors that rely on maintenance-free coating rather than reflective backing that can deteriorate over time. The client also required a simple, light, frameless, opaque glass door. This product fully meets both expectations.
Pilkington Optiwhite™ was chosen for its exceptional transparency and neutrality. In particular its use in the case of digitally printed glass, such as the ones we used for the parapets, where it was essential to use extra-clear glass - traditional glass would make the white colour of the paint less bright. Pilkington Optiwhite™ enhances the brightness of the colours, providing rooms with an extraordinary lightness and transparency.”
* Pilkington Optiwhite™ 10 mm thick toughened and laminated glass (10+10, with PVB interlayer 1.52 mm).