Glass Age Development Committee
Encyclopedia
The Glass Age Development Committee was established in 1937 by Pilkington
to promote the use of glass
as a building material in the United Kingdom
. It commissioned designs for many large-scale schemes, none of which were ever built. Notable schemes included a proposal in 1955 to demolish the entire area of Soho
and rebuild it entirely in glass; a 1957 proposal for the replacement of St Giles Circus in London with a 150 feet (45.7 m) tall glass heliport
; and the 1963 "Crystal Span" proposal for the replacement of London
's Vauxhall Bridge
with a seven-story glass building straddling the River Thames
, which was to have contained a shopping mall, luxury hotel, residential development and a museum to house the modern art
collection now housed at Tate Modern
.
The Glass Age Development Committee is best known for its ambitious 1971 proposal for a glass and concrete offshore city
housing 21,000 people, to be anchored off the coast near Great Yarmouth
and accessed from the mainland by hovercraft
. The development was to have been called Sea City. The structure would have been 4700 feet (1,432.6 m) long and 3300 feet (1,005.8 m) wide, and would have rested on concrete islands supported by piers
. It was intended that the development would have been economically self-sufficient thanks to boatbuilding workshops, fish farming
, and the export of fresh water from an onboard desalination
plant, while a lagoon in the centre of the development would support a tourist industry based on skin diving and water skiing
.
Pilkington
Pilkington Group Limited is a multinational glass manufacturing company headquartered in St Helens, United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of the Japan-based NSG Group...
to promote the use of glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
as a building material in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It commissioned designs for many large-scale schemes, none of which were ever built. Notable schemes included a proposal in 1955 to demolish the entire area of Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
and rebuild it entirely in glass; a 1957 proposal for the replacement of St Giles Circus in London with a 150 feet (45.7 m) tall glass heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
; and the 1963 "Crystal Span" proposal for the replacement of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Vauxhall Bridge
Vauxhall Bridge
Vauxhall Bridge is a Grade II* listed steel and granite deck arch bridge in central London. It crosses the River Thames in a south–east north–west direction between Vauxhall on the south bank and Pimlico on the north bank...
with a seven-story glass building straddling the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, which was to have contained a shopping mall, luxury hotel, residential development and a museum to house the modern art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
collection now housed at Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
.
The Glass Age Development Committee is best known for its ambitious 1971 proposal for a glass and concrete offshore city
Seasteading
Seasteading is the concept of creating permanent dwellings at sea, called seasteads, outside the territories claimed by the governments of any standing nation....
housing 21,000 people, to be anchored off the coast near Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
and accessed from the mainland by hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
. The development was to have been called Sea City. The structure would have been 4700 feet (1,432.6 m) long and 3300 feet (1,005.8 m) wide, and would have rested on concrete islands supported by piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. It was intended that the development would have been economically self-sufficient thanks to boatbuilding workshops, fish farming
Fish farming
Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases young fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species'...
, and the export of fresh water from an onboard desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
plant, while a lagoon in the centre of the development would support a tourist industry based on skin diving and water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
.