Commissioning bespoke art glass across borders should not require you to coordinate engineers, fabricators, packers and installers. We manage the entire process — a single point of responsibility, from the first drawing to the signed handover report.
Every commission follows a documented protocol — designed to integrate cleanly with the workflow of international architectural practices, general contractors, hotel groups and shipyards.
We review your architectural drawings, BIM models or concept sketches and provide preliminary structural feedback within 48 hours. Where required, Paolo Corpetti travels to the site for direct measurement and condition assessment. All dimensions are taken by the studio — the contractor is not asked to provide measurements for critical installations.
Where the installation requires a custom subframe, support structure or certified structural calculations, we engage our partner engineering studio — Studio Bertini-Sangiorgio, Rome — who produce the full structural design package: calculations, executive drawings, material specifications and anchorage details. The complete engineering package is delivered directly to the local steelwork contractor or the client's structural engineer, in the format required by the project.
A physical master sample (minimum 20×20 cm) is produced within 10 working days of brief approval. The sample presents the actual glass, lead profile, colour palette and technique — not a digital rendering. Client and DL approval is documented before production begins. The approved sample is retained as the production reference throughout the commission.
Every panel is produced against dimensioned shop drawings indicating technique, colour references, lead profile section, panel numbering and anchorage points. Shop drawings are shared with the DL and structural engineer before production starts. A signed production schedule with milestone dates is issued at the start of production.
Where the project is located abroad or at significant distance from Rome, the structural subframe is fabricated and installed by a local steelwork contractor selected or approved by the client. Studio Bertini-Sangiorgio's executive drawings are issued directly to the contractor. We provide technical assistance remotely during fabrication and carry out a pre-installation inspection of the subframe before dispatching the glass panels.
All panels are packed in custom-built timber crates, dimensioned to the specific panel sizes, with high-density polyethylene foam, interleaving tissue, corner protectors and anti-vibration mounting. Crates are palletised and labelled with handling instructions in English and the destination language. We coordinate with specialist fine-art and fragile-cargo freight forwarders for worldwide delivery — including customs documentation, insurance and delivery-to-site logistics.
Depending on project complexity and client preference, we offer two modes of delivery — described in detail below. In both cases, the installation is supervised or carried out directly by Paolo Corpetti. No sub-delegation of the installation phase.
Installation handover includes a written commissioning report with photographic documentation of the completed work, a written guarantee covering materials and workmanship, and a maintenance manual specifying cleaning products, inspection intervals and contact procedures for future restoration. CE conformity documentation is provided where applicable.
The choice depends on project complexity, access conditions and client preference. Both options include the full engineering and production process described above.
Panels are shipped to site in professional timber crates. Paolo Corpetti travels to the destination — worldwide — to supervise and carry out installation directly. This is the recommended option for complex installations, large formats, and projects where precise fitting to a custom subframe is critical.
Panels are shipped with full installation instructions, numbered panel drawings and remote technical assistance. The client's contractor carries out the installation under our remote supervision. This option is suitable for simpler installations where a skilled local contractor is available and the client prefers to manage the installation phase directly.
For commissions requiring certified structural design — overhead velaria, large suspended panels, facade installations subject to wind load calculations, or any installation requiring building permit documentation — we engage Studio Bertini-Sangiorgio, a Rome-based structural engineering practice with extensive experience in architectural glazing and heritage building interventions.
The engineering package is produced in the language and format required by the destination country's permitting authority. Executive drawings are issued directly to the local steelwork contractor. The client is not required to source or brief the structural engineer — this is managed entirely by Studio Vetrarte.
Studio Bertini-Sangiorgio · Structural Engineering · Rome, ItalyStructural analysis, steel frame executive drawings and subframe details · dott. ing. Daniele Bertini, dott. ing. Luca Sangiorgio · October 2019
Art glass panels that survive decades in a cathedral must first survive a freight forwarder's warehouse. Our packaging is engineered to the same standard as the glass it protects.
Each panel is individually wrapped in acid-free tissue and high-density polyethylene foam, with corner protection at all four edges. Panels are mounted within custom-built timber crates dimensioned to the specific panel format — never placed in oversized generic crating. Multiple panels within a single crate are separated by foam dividers and oriented vertically on edge, never flat-stacked.
Crates are palletised on Euro-pallets and secured with ratchet strapping. Handling labels — Fragile / This Way Up / Do Not Stack — are applied in English and the destination language. A packing list with panel dimensions, weights and crate contents is included inside each crate and provided separately to the freight forwarder.
We work with specialist fine-art and fragile-cargo freight forwarders for international shipments. All consignments are insured for full replacement value. Customs documentation — including certificates of origin, export declarations and any destination-country import permits — is prepared by the studio.
Send us your drawings. We will handle the engineering, production, packaging, shipping and installation — wherever in the world the project is located.