Masonry Magazine April 1967 Page. 35
Model shows all-gloss CAMEO wall unit. The units are manufactured by Pittsburgh Corning Corporation and were created by Peter Muller-Munk Associates, internationally known design firm. They measure 8-in. x 8-in. x 4-in.
A Gem of a Product-Cameo
Note: The following is an interview with Donald H. Behnk, vice president, Peter Muller-Munk Associates, one of the nation's leading design firms. Mr. Behnk worked on the design team that created INTAGLIO glass wall units for Pittsburgh Corning Corporation in 1962, and was chief designer on the CAMEO glass wall units project.
QUESTION: Mr. Behnk, when you began designing a new glass wall unit for Pittsburgh Corning, what did you have in mind to do?
MR. BEHNK: We had a couple of goals in mind, really. First, we wanted to break away from the square feeling of the units. Second, we wanted to try to capture an entirely new feeling for the glass itself.
QUESTION: Do you think you succeeded on both counts?
MR. BEHNK: I think so. But before I go on, I think I should describe the products we designed to meet these goals.
QUESTION: You mean there is more than one product?
MR. BEHNK: Actually there is one product but two designs. CAMEO I has a sculptured relief surface in the form of a semi-circle. CAMEO II's sculptured relief surface is in the shape of a sharply angled crescent. Both are made of clear glass with the raised surfaces surrounded by a fired-on black ceramic frit.
QUESTION: How does the raised surface help you meet your goals?
MR. BEHNK. We got away from the square feeling of the block by creating the sculptured relief surface. This design area gives us a striking three-dimensional effect. As to giving glass a new look, this sculptured relief surface gave the units a free flowing appearance suggesting the fluid qualities of molten glass. Both effects are firsts as far as we know.
QUESTION: What do you mean firsts?
MR. BEHNK: This is the first time that a glass wall unit has had a predominently raised surface. INTAGLIO glass wall units-which we designed for Pittsburgh Corning in 1962-had a recessed glass area that was given a crystalline look. CAMEO also moves to the other end of the spectrum by making the glass surface look as if it were hand-blown molten glass.
QUESTION: Anything else new or different about CAMEO?
MR. BEHNK: Yes. CAMEO's color combination. To our knowledge this is the first time that clear glass (Please turn to page 40)