beneath the surface blog

  1. 5 Tips for Designing with Backlit Onyx

    Onyx itself is a luxurious material, and when integrated with the proper backlighting techniques the layers and depth of the stone is further brought to life.  You’re investing money and design time into this natural product, so consider the following tips to properly showcase its natural beauty: 1. Choose a stone that has significant visible […]

    Read more
  2. Quick Guide to LED Lighting Systems for Sustainable Building Design and LEED credits

    Acronyms galore.  The letters “L”, “E”, and “D” on my keyboard are going to be worn out after this blog post! Lighting systems typically constitute the highest energy use in commercial buildings. The USGBC (United States Green Building Council) has recognized the energy savings potential in general lighting systems, and LED lighting systems can be a […]

    Read more
  3. 10 Design Elements for Creating Commercial Feature Walls

    Have you ever seen an over scaled-zebra striped-curved-colored-lighted  wall with varying panel sizes and gaping reveals?  We haven’t, but there’s probably a reason for that. All of the conflicting visual elements would cause nausea and headaches for any sane designer! In a primary space in your commercial interior design, you’ve allocated a prominent wall which […]

    Read more
  4. More than Green: Can the Space Between the Walls Make a Difference?

    Video Tours of 2000 Tower Oaks Blvd. The 2000 Tower Oaks Blvd. Office building is the first LEED© Platinum new construction office building in the Washington, D.C. region.  In the design and construction of Tower Oaks, the developer (The Tower Companies) took sustainability to a whole new level.  Not only is the building physically healthy, […]

    Read more
  5. Open Pages: Why You Should Judge a Stone Composition By Its Cover

    With precise attention to book-matching, designing with natural stone can result in striking compositions. Are you familiar with the old adage “measure twice, cut once”? To obtain perfect veining patterns in our stone feature walls, at GPI it’s more like “measure twice. draw a diagram. step back and think about it. call the design department. […]

    Read more
  6. From the Field: Wells Fargo Center Lobby Installation Part 2

    Part 2 of our photo update from the construction site at the Wells Fargo Center in Norfolk, Virginia. We manufactured, engineered, and installed the backlit onyx feature wall system and four-sided column wraps in the main lobby.  All of the prep work and structural steel has been completed and we are now hanging our FLAT-Lite™ […]

    Read more
  7. From the Field: Wells Fargo Lobby Installation

    A photo update of our installation progress on-site in Norfolk, Virginia (see the project rendering belowfor the final vision). Most of the steel has been installed and a few FLAT-Lite™ LED panels were tested.  Everything fit together perfectly and it looks like the columns will be installed tomorrow. The reception wall (above) had some framing adjustments, which […]

    Read more
  8. GPI Begins Backlit Onyx Install at LEED Certified Office Building

    This week marks the long awaited kickoff of the installation of our Wells Fargo Center job in Norfolk, Viriginia.  From the time a project is initiated to the actual installation, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.  Here’s just a little taste of why we’re so excited to finally be on the construction […]

    Read more
  9. Backlit Honey Onyx: Representation of Hearth?

     “the solar-heating functions of a building were essentially a replacement of the original thermal functions of the fireplace.  With its circle of warmth, the fireplace had once been the center of family life… what were the qualities of the hearth that made it so wonderful and so beloved?” – Thermal Delight in Architecture by Lisa […]

    Read more
  10. Dynamic Architecture: Building Management Systems and Interactive Controls

    Imagine walking into a corridor that senses your presence and gradually produces light patterns on the wall that mimic your path of movement. Will central management of interior lighting eliminate the need for something as simple as a lightswitch? With the evolution of building management systems from mere organization of a building’s technical services (electricity, […]

    Read more
  11. GPI News: Facelift of New Website Not Just on the Surface

    We’ve been hard at work giving our website and branding a face lift. But the redesign is more than aesthetic. We went beneath the surface to retool the ease of navigation, clearly illustrate our past projects and incorporate resources for our customers. Our process and deliverables are so unique that we needed to overhaul all […]

    Read more
  12. Backlighting Resin with LED Panels

    Resin and acrylic surfaces can provide intense color and flexibility. The lightweight nature allows for ease of installation and reduced structural support or hardware. Many resin-based products are so translucent, attention to the structural systems and lighting design need to be considered to properly eliminate shadows, hot spots, or visual identification of the light source. […]

    Read more
  13. Environmental Awareness in Glass, Stone and Fabric Products

    GPI’s environmental policy is straightforward: if it harms the environment, we avoid it. It is evident in everything we do here, form the cars we drive to the fluorescent-free lighting in our offices to recycling our own paper. You will find forward-thinking in our partnerships, in our processes and in our products. We believe our […]

    Read more