Pilkington's 200-Year Legacy in Architectural Glass Innovation
Pilkington, the glass manufacturer founded in 1826 in St Helens, England, celebrates its bicentennial in 2026. The company revolutionized architecture with the 1959 float glass process, enabling large, flawless sheets that fueled modern curtain-wall buildings. Subsequent innovations include 1978 fire-resistant glass, 1989 Pilkington K Glass™ for thermal insulation, 2001 self-cleaning Pilkington Activ™, and 2020 bird-safe Pilkington AviSafe™ with UV-reflective patterns. Recent sustainability efforts feature a 2021 hydrogen trial, 2022 biofuel trial, and 2023 Pilkington Mirai™ with 52% lower embodied carbon. The company's glass appears in iconic projects like The Shard in London and the Empire State Building renovation. Over two centuries, Pilkington has transformed glass from a decorative element into a high-performance, environmentally responsive building material.
Key facts
- Pilkington was founded in 1826 as the St Helens Crown Glass Company in northwest England.
- The float glass process was introduced by Sir Alastair Pilkington in 1959.
- Pilkington K Glass™ launched in 1989 for thermal insulation.
- Pilkington Activ™, the first self-cleaning glass, was introduced in 2001.
- Pilkington AviSafe™, with UV-reflective patterns for bird safety, launched in 2020.
- In 2021, Pilkington conducted the first hydrogen fuel trial in float glass manufacturing.
- Pilkington Mirai™ (2023) has approximately 52% less embodied carbon than conventional float glass.
- Pilkington glass was used in The Shard (London) and the Empire State Building renovation.
Entities
Artists
- Eduardo Souza
- Sir Alastair Pilkington
Institutions
- Pilkington
- St Helens Crown Glass Company
- Goettsch Partners
- Rever & Drage Architects
- Florian Nagler Architekten
- Verstas Architects
- Arup
- GBBN
- Ark-shelter
- ArchDaily
Locations
- St Helens
- England
- Merseyside
- London
- United Kingdom
- Nürnberg
- Germany
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Luton