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Bendheim Celebrates Important Distinction from UNESCO

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International Agency Recognizes Handmade Glass as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Along with our near century-old partner Lamberts®, we are celebrating UNESCO’s recent announcement recognizing handmade mouth-blown and rolled glass as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, declared handmade glass production to be an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” We have been the North American representative and distributor for Lamberts® mouth-blown glass for more than 80 years. Their glass is used extensively in ecclesiastical, secular, restoration and historical applications.

Mouth-Blown Glass Production

Mouth-blown glass production at Glashütte Lamberts, Germany

The traditional craft of handmade glass production was nominated for the UNESCO award by Germany, France, Spain Finland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The intangible cultural heritage of humanity includes living traditions in dance, theater, music, oral traditions, natural knowledge and craft techniques.

Restoration Glass® and “stained” glass from Lamberts have been included in a wide variety of projects, including religious buildings, airports, schools of education and historical institutions such as The White House, Monticello and Mount Vernon.

Lamberts® has partnered with Bendheim since the company was founded in 1927. Mouth-blown glass is available in hundreds of transparent and translucent colors, and offers a distinct, humanizing character. Each sheet of Restoration Glass® is handmade utilizing centuries-old techniques and hand-selected at the factory to ensure the finest quality.

A sheet of "Full" Restoration Glass®

Restoration Glass® is mouth-blown by Glashütte Lamberts in accordance with centuries-long tradition

“We are eternally grateful for the recognition of handmade glass production as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity,” explained Georg Goes from the Glashütte Baruth Museum, Katrin Holthaus from the LWL Museum Glashütte Gernheim and Rainer Schmitt from the Lamberts Glassworks. “It is a groundbreaking award for those who carry this traditional craft practice and is an incentive for us to continue to preserve this tradition and make it better known. In the coming years, we are planning international projects to maintain manual glass production together with our partners from the other applicant nations.”

“The hand and breath of the glassblower can be felt in the mouth-blown glass of Lamberts®. This glass with a soul, brings its unique personality to our technology-driven world.’’ Bendheim Partner Robert Jayson said. “For nearly 100 years, Bendheim and Lamberts® have worked together to bring the finest mouth-blown sheet glass to North America. We take great pride in having the ability to provide this special glass to our market.”

Children's Hospital of Alabama | Stained Glass Wall

Stained glass installation at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Birmingham, AL by Guy Kemper. Photo by James Steinkamp

UNESCO has been supporting the protection, documentation and preservation of living culture for 20 years. Individual elements from the national registers of intangible cultural heritage of the contracting states can be proposed for one of three international UNESCO lists. Around 700 customs, performing arts, craft techniques and forms of natural knowledge are currently on these lists. The Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage decides annually on the inclusion of new cultural forms on the UNESCO lists.

Click here to learn more about UNESCO and Intangible Cultural Heritage. Click here to learn more about Lamberts Glass.

Bendheim Introduces Precision Digital Printing Service

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Specialty Glass Experts Offer Latest in Image Technology

We are proud to announce the launch of BendheimDigital, a direct-to-glass printing service uniting the latest in precision technology with our deep expertise in glass design.

“The option of ceramic ink jet digital printing creates amazing new possibilities for architects and designers working with our Design-Assist team,” noted Said Elieh, Bendheim Vice President for Sales and Innovation. “We see exciting opportunities to use this technology with our rainscreens, our exterior railing products, our TurnKey Fusion Light Wall system for interiors — and much more. These integrated designs will take full advantage of one of our greatest strengths: a deep understanding of how glass speaks to light.”

BendheimDigital printed glass in elevator lobby

In addition to custom designs and artwork, the service will offer a range of proprietary patterns.  For all projects, our vast inventory of specialty glass options will allow designers to fully explore the play between light, image, and texture. Digital printing gives architects and designers working on projects in corporate, transportation, healthcare and more the opportunity to develop and provide precision design in glass.

Our Digital Design-Assist team is staffed by graphic designers with expertise in digital technology.  The company’s latest generation printer is set in an energy-efficient cleanroom for optimal results, producing the finest, sharpest images possible today.

BendheimDigital printed glass in hospital room

“Our family business began with the beauty of traditional stained glass almost 100 years ago,” observed Bendheim President Donald Jayson. “Realizing our clients’ artistic visions through excellence in design execution is in our DNA. Adding this advanced technology greatly enhances our ability to bring their concepts to fruition.”

For more information about BendheimDigital, please see https://bendheim.com/glass_type/bendheimdigital/.

Bendheim Doubly Recognized For Product Innovation

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Problem-Solving Design Achievements Garner Awards

Recognizing our commitment to innovation, we have received industry honors for two key recent design achievements: our ventilated glass parking façade for Kansas City International Airport, and our new TurnKey™ Fusion Light Wall system for backlit interior glass.

Architectural Products Magazine honored our ventilated glass façade for the new KCI parking structure with a 2023 Product Innovation Award. Bendheim Vice President of Sales and Innovation Said Elieh and team designed a custom system of vertical compression clips for the project, securing glass panels weighing 800+ pounds each to the garage exterior without the need for a costly steel substructure. The elegant glass façade provides natural ventilation for the structure while also meeting key aesthetic goals for Kansas City’s high-profile airport renovation. Reflective glass on the north façade greets approaching motorists with a harmonious view of earth and sky, while etched glass on the west façade directs a softer glow towards the terminal.

“Having someone on the Bendheim side that understands the design vision we’re trying to achieve, but then can bring that technical capacity on the manufacturer side to help realize that conceptual vision is important,” noted Joshua Harrold, Associate Principal at BNIM.

Ventilated glass facade by Bendheim on the exterior of the Kansas City International Airport parking structure.

An elegant glass façade by Bendheim and Längle Glas at Kansas City International Airport. The KCI parking structure’s custom-engineered system has been recognized with a 2023 Product Innovation Award from Architectural Products Magazine. Photo by Michael Robinson Photography.

Building Design + Construction Magazine recently named our TurnKey Fusion Light Wall system as a Judges’ Pick for its 75 Top Building Products of 2023. Judges’ Picks are selected by a jury of architecture, engineering, and construction professionals who specify, purchase or recommend building products.

The TurnKey Fusion Light Wall system incorporates LED light panels directly into a simple rail-and-key system for attaching interior glass cladding. Our Fusion LED lights are specifically designed to provide exceptionally even illumination for backlit applications. As a complement to this technology, we also offer our newly developed LE’Diffusion™ Safety Glass, specially engineered for shadow-free dispersion of LED light. Able to accommodate glass panels up to 8 feet in height, the entire TurnKey Fusion Light Wall system is UL listed.

Bendheim TurnKey Fusion glass cladding system in a lobby.

At the University of Missouri’s NextGen Precision Health Institute, art by faculty member Katina Bitsicas receives even, shadow-free backlighting from Bendheim’s TurnKey Fusion Light Wall system with LE’Diffusion Safety Glass. Turnkey Fusion Light Wall has been selected as a Judges’ Pick in Building Design + Construction Magazine’s Top 75 Building Products for 2023. Photo by Michael Robinson Photography.

Donald Jayson, President of Bendheim, expressed great pride in his team’s achievements. “As a company, we are deeply committed to moving forward with innovation on all fronts. We place an extremely high value on solving problems for our partners, and I’m extremely pleased with this recognition of our expertise.”

Bendheim Channel Glass Wins USGlass Sustainability Award

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EPD signals commitment to sustainable construction

Our channel glass, manufactured by Glasfabrik Lamberts of Germany, has received a 2023 Sustainability Award from USGlass Magazine. The honor was announced in the magazine’s November issue.

The USGlass Sustainability Awards recognize “products, companies and people who demonstrate a commitment to creating high-performance and sustainable architectural glass facades.”

Recognized by USGlass in the Product category, our channel glass:

  • Carries an independently certified EPD, detailing its environmental impact from manufacture to delivery in North America
  • Carries an HPD, detailing its material composition
  • Is manufactured in an oxygen-fired melting furnace that minimizes emissions during production
  • Is manufactured in a facility that runs exclusively on electricity from renewable sources
  • Contains up to 50% post-consumer recycled glass, with a minimum of 30%
  • Is 100% recyclable
  • Contributes to energy efficient structures through excellent thermal performance

“We’re extremely proud to be the exclusive North American representative for Lamberts channel glass”, noted Uarda Hoti, Sustainability Program Manager at Bendheim. “Building a Clear Future, our commitment to advancing sustainability in all aspects of our operations, is one of Bendheim’s highest priorities.  Channel glass is a wonderfully versatile building solution for our project partners, and it’s critical for us to support their sustainability goals.”

For more information about sustainability at Bendheim, please contact Uarda Hoti at uhoti@bendheim.com or visit https://bendheim.com/sustainability/.

Bendheim Channel Glass Achieves EPD and HPD

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Material transparency supports sustainability

Bendheim’s channel glass, manufactured by Glasfabrik Lamberts of Germany, now carries both an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and a Health Product Declaration (HPD), supporting architects and designers’ demands for sustainability.

“This news reflects our dedication to information transparency, equipping professionals with the knowledge to make environmentally responsible choices,” observed Bendheim Vice President of Corporate Development Rodrigo Menino.

“Through our Building a Clear Future program, we are striving to advance sustainability in every aspect of our operations,” Menino added. “Supporting our partners in design with this vital information is a logical next step.”

Bendheim is the exclusive North American representative for Glasfabrik Lamberts U-profiled (channel) glass. The lightweight, self-supporting glass channels enable designers to create walls of glass uninterrupted by metal framing.

“The strong working relationship between Bendheim and Lamberts dates back to the early days of our company,” noted Bendheim President Donald Jayson. “Channel glass is both beautiful and practical, and it is a great source of pride to partner with Lamberts, a manufacturer who shares our values on sustainability.”

EPDs quantify a product’s environmental impacts throughout its life cycle, including its carbon footprint. HPDs disclose the material composition of the product, including any known implications for human health. Both types of documentation provide credits towards LEED certification. HPDs also support compliance with WELL, Cradle-to-Cradle and other green building standards.

A copy of the EPD for Bendheim’s channel glass is available here, and a copy of the HPD is available here.

For more information about sustainability at Bendheim, please contact Rodrigo Menino at rmenino@bendheim.com;  Uarda Hoti, Sustainability Program Coordinator, at uhoti@bendheim.com; or visit https://bendheim.com/sustainability/.

Bendheim Launches Comprehensive Sustainability Program

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“Building a Clear Future” Signals Company’s Commitment 

We are proud to announce the public launch of “Building a Clear Future,” a comprehensive initiative to advance sustainability in every aspect of our operations.

“Sustainability is a 360-degree, 365-day-a-year mindset, and this program is designed accordingly,” noted Bendheim President Donald Jayson. “We are going far beyond a product-by-product approach to build a long-term culture of sustainability at Bendheim. Now is the time to redouble our efforts towards securing a better future for our children and grandchildren.”

The Building a Clear Future program is the guiding organizational structure for our sustainability initiatives across all areas of operations and will measure their resulting environmental impacts. The program addresses manufacturing processes, product development, supplier outreach, and employee engagement and well-being. We will also explore avenues for strategic collaborations, advancing transparency across the industry.

As a first step forward, we have formally committed to reducing its corporate Scope 1 and 2 emissions 30% by 2030.

In support of this goal, we recently installed solar panels at our fabrication facility reducing operational carbon emissions. Next steps will include further evaluation of the facility’s energy usage and the establishment of energy reduction targets.

“We’re spearheading a new era in our business by embedding sustainability in everything we do–from the selection of materials to the creation of new products to our manufacturing processes,” said Rodrigo Menino, Vice President of Corporate Development and Group CFO. “This complete transformation aligns us with a future that prioritizes responsibility.”

For more information about Building a Clear Future, contact Uarda Hoti, Sustainability Program Manager, at uhoti@bendheim.com; or visit https://bendheim.com/sustainability/.