Falconnier’s blown brick vaults are unique structures preserved in single copies. Most of these structures have been lost and we can only admire them in old photographs. However at present, there are real possibilities for their revival since the technology for manufacturing Falconnier’s blown bricks has been restored. Currently there are manufacturing facilities in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Russia.
The article examines objects with translucent overhead light structures made from Falconnier’s bricks: Villa Wassenberg, Siegfried Bing’s Salon de l’Art Nouveau galleries in Paris, the dome of the Church of Saint-Antoine-de-QuinzeVent, the atrium coverings of the Zürich Stadthaus, etc.
Based on the results of an analysis of patents received by Gustave Falconnier, the technology for making vaults using blown Falconnier’s bricks is described.
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• glass blocks
• Falconnier technology
• translucent barriers
• overhead light
• barrel vault
• atrium