“Ascend”

Firehouse 1, Anchorage, Alaska

Fused glass and stainless steel

Emerging from the landscape and gracefully stretching to the sky symbolizing a firefighter’s journey,  we designed stylized ladders, one of the tools of the fire department, a contemporary rendition that exemplifies a modern approach to fire safety, prevention, education and community support.

To represent the firefighter’s lifeline – water – layers of clear and colored iridescent and dichroic glass were inset into the rungs. The use of dichroic glass that changes between red and blue color depending how it is viewed will have a subtle, but noticeable, fire and water effect.  During the day, natural light plays on these textured layers.  At night the textured surface dramatically reflects the artificial lighting so that it is intriguing all times of the day.