Liam Gillick Canopy at Centene Plaza

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As sunlight shines down on the glass overhang between the building and the parking garage, the space beneath explodes in an array of dazzling colors.

The light-diffusing characteristics of glass reach their fullest potential in this canopy designed by artist Liam Gillick. Keeping in mind the needs of the people who travel between the two buildings, the architect sought to create an environment that literally protects users from the elements, but also shields them from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. As sunlight shines down on the glass overhang between the building and the parking garage, the space beneath explodes in an array of dazzling colors. The ethereal quality achieved through this design provides a place for passerby to step back from their busy schedules and let their minds wander. Gillick describes the structure as “a link between a place of arrival and a place of work…a site for the distracted viewer who has other things on his mind.”

The use of glass in this design represents Gillick’s attempt to push the borders of architecture and to “find things that can barely be achieved.” Vanceva® color interlayer technology helped him achieve this goal with thousands of options for transparent, translucent and opaque colors. But a sense of concrete social responsibility also weighs in and affects his work. In the case of Centene’s Headquarters, the colorful glass canopy provides a way to both test boundaries and remain connected to the legacy of utility.

CLIENT

Centene

LOCATION

Clayton, Missouri