8 HOW IT’S MADE Our channel glass’ basic ingredients are sand, limestone, soda ash, and a high percentage of post-consumer recycled glass. The mix is combined in an oxygen-fired melting furnace and emerges from it as a ribbon of molten glass. It is then drawn over a series of steel rollers and formed into a U-shape. The steel rollers imprint a texture in the glass surface. The resulting U-glass ribbon is cooled and hardened, creating a continuous glass channel of the specified dimensions and surface finish. The channel is carefully annealed (control-cooled) and cut to the desired length prior to final processing and shipping. Pictured here: Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA by Schwartz Silver Architects and Eskew+Dumez+Ripple. 40,000 ft2 rainscreen features 40% post-consumer recycled 504 Rough Cast™ channel glass, installed with the flanges facing out to add texture to the facade. Photos by Timothy Hursley.