Formglas® - An Overview
Founded in 1962, Formglas® is the world leader in manufacturing fiberglass-reinforced, thin-cast architectural products. All Formglas® products are Class-A fire-rated and incorporate pre- and post-consumer recycled material, thereby making it an excellent choice for many facets of a building's interior and exterior.
Wall Panels: FMC Tower, BLT Architects, Formglas® Concreet™
Structural Steel Cladding: World Trade Center, Santiago Calatrava, Formglas® GFRG
Structural Steel Cladding: World Trade Center, Santiago Calatrava, Formglas® GFRG
Similar to most manufacturers that CADE partners with, everything that Formglas® produces is engineered-to-order: standard is custom, and custom is standard.
A team of in-house designers at Formglas® are available to assist with optimizing the shape/size/materiality of each mold required to realize the intent of the design. Through the use of 3D modeling and 5-axis CNC tooling, panels are precision-engineered to virtually any shape or configuration: wavy, curved, ribbed, corrugated, perforated, etc.
Screening Element Mold by Formglas®
Ceiling Coffer Mold by Formglas®
Column Cover Mold by Formglas®
Once the mold is constructed, the specified mineral aggregate (gypsum, concrete, plastic, etc.) is brush-applied into the mold while thin scrims of fiberglass are simultaneously laid into the mold. Embedded elements (plywood, steel loops, etc.) are integrated to accommodate a variety of attachment applications (suspended ceilings, wall-mount, etc.).
Column Covers and Ceilings: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, SOM, Formglas® GFRG & GFRC
Painted Screening Element & Column/Pedestal Covers, Steelcase Showroom - The Mart, SDG, Formglas® GFRG
With these capabilities, Formglas® allows for nearly endless design possibilities. There are, of course, best practices to consider. A key consideration is utilizing repetition to minimize costs. Because the bulk of the cost of a molded panel is related to the design/engineering/production of the molds, the product cost is primarily driven by the number of unique panel types (molds) required to solve the design. Repeated use of a mold minimizes the cost per square foot of the product. Conversely, one-off molds that are produced and utilized to manufacture a single panel will substantially inflate the cost per square foot of the final product.
Suspended Ceiling, 4 Times Square, FXFowle, Formglas® GFRG
Suspended Ceiling, Washington Convention Center, tvsdesign, Formglas® GFRG
Formglas® and CADE can help you and your team design components that use pattern repetition without compromising the design intent or busting the budget.
Partner with CADE + Formglas® for your next project. You draw it, and we make it!
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Formglas®
Products: Concreet™, CorniceStone™, Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP), GFRC, GFRG, MetalCast, QuarryCast, Woodgrane™
Location: Vaughan, Ontario