Boots The Chemist

The Brief was to create two decorative windows and to conceal the lift shaft, which is sited directly behind the screens. Given the available budget, I decided to use screen-printed and enamelled float glass. This created a problem in that screen-printed enamels can often look very flat and two-dimensional, and I wanted the glass to be bright and lively.

My solution was to develop the idea of window-shopping and create a quasi three-dimensional, hologram-like effect by duplicating the design on a second sheet of glass fixed 50mm within the outer skin, rather like double-glazing. This created a sense of depth and perceived movement to passing shoppers.

Dedicated internal fibre-optic lighting creates a soft, delicate, coloured blush and enlivens the windows after dark.

The geometrical framework echoes the rectangles of the adjacent timber door panelling and the coloured glass clerestory and stallrisers (not shown).

The floral designs are based on botanical photographs of native British plants and include fritillaries, chive flowers, teasel and thistle. These are both attractive in themselves and represent pharmaceutics and perfumery, central elements in the trade of Boots the Chemist.

The imagery has been sandblasted onto coloured, enamelled, toughened glass. The external glazing is Schott’s Amiran non-reflective glass and reduces reflections from the shops opposite.

Commissioner: Boots the Chemist Ltd, Nottingham

Address: Swan Lane, Guildford, Surrey

Architects: Jonathan Smith & Partners Ltd, Leicester

Contractor: Henry Boot Management Ltd