Dalle de Verre ‘Ganesh’ panel

Kitengela Hot Glass Ltd: Dalle de Verre ‘Ganesh’ panel

The Dalle de Verre ‘Ganesh’ is a handcrafted architectural glazing panel made from 100% recycled glass using the French dalle de verre technique, in which thick cast glass blocks are set into a reinforced cement and steel matrix to form a durable, light-transmitting window or screen. Its recycled glass composition eliminates virgin raw material extraction, while the cement-and-steel matrix produces a structurally robust panel suited to both interior and exterior installation. The panel transmits diffused natural daylight through coloured glass blocks, reducing dependence on artificial lighting during daytime hours. Named after “the remover of obstacles,” this design incorporates cast glass beads into a decorative motif originally commissioned for an entrance foyer. All dalle de verre panels are custom-fabricated at the Kitengela Hot Glass studio near Nairobi, with bespoke designs, dimensions, and configurations available for residential, hospitality, corporate, and institutional projects.

Technical specifications

• Product type: Dalle de verre architectural glazing panel
• Material: 100% recycled glass (post-consumer bottles and post-industrial window glass from Kenya’s building industry) set in a cement and steel matrix
• Glass block thickness: Approximately 20 mm per block
• Panel dimensions: Approximately 1 m diameter (custom sizes available to fit any opening)
• Fabrication: Glass blocks cast in steel moulds in the hot shop, or hand-carved with a specialist hammer for complex shapes (stars, sharp curves, detailed motifs)
• Application: Interior and exterior window panels, decorative screens, furniture tops, flooring, and sculptural installations
• Structural form: Cement and steel matrix provides load-bearing rigidity; glass blocks transmit light while maintaining structural integrity
• Customisation: Panels made to order for homes, restaurants, hotels, offices, and corporate or institutional spaces
• Manufacturing location: Kitengela Hot Glass studio, Athi Kapiti Plains, near Ongata Rongai, Nairobi

Sustainability features

• 100% recycled glass content: raw material sourced entirely from post-consumer bottles and post-industrial window offcuts, diverting waste glass from landfill
• Zero virgin glass extraction required
• Solar-powered annealing: finished glass objects are annealed using a 30 kW on-site solar farm, reducing the energy-related carbon footprint of production
• Crushed glass from production offcuts is repurposed as sand aggregate in the cement mortar used for dalle de verre panels, achieving near-zero manufacturing waste
• Breakages and offcuts are converted into secondary products (windchimes, crushed glass mortar), closing the material loop within the studio
• Packaging uses recycled newspaper and second-hand boxes
• Locally manufactured in Kenya using locally collected scrap glass, minimising transport emissions
• Daylighting contribution: panels transmit diffused natural light, reducing electricity consumption for artificial lighting in the spaces where they are installed