Damaged windshields find new life

Nine years ago, Ron Sundholm walked into a windshield repair shop and inspiration hit. Watching as crews took his old windshield and put it in a dumpster, Sundholm realized that, rather than hauling broken windshields to landfills, it made more sense to reuse them for building construction.

Sundholm, who owns the Portland company Second Glass, has a patent pending on his system to remanufacture windshields into a range of architectural uses. He said the production method includes adding color to the glass to coordinate with other design elements in the room or office. The company uses damaged or junked windshields.

Beam Development was the company’s first client, said Sundholm. Its tenant, Finavera Renewables, used glass panels as office walls. Bremik Construction used glass panels as conference room walls in the White Stag Building, and the city’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has suspended three panels from the ceiling as area dividers.

Every piece of glass, he said, has its own texture and personality. All windshields are reworked by hand.

Sundholm said his company has created many frameless shower enclosures, shower walls and doors, as well as interior doors and pocket doors and kitchen cabinet inserts.

“Our lack of capital precludes automation of our processes,” said Sundholm. “We have exposed our products to a handful of architects locally and the feedback is generally, ‘Wow. What a great idea. We will see how we can work it into some of our green projects.’ Our process is almost carbon neutral – using very little heat – and LEED points are awarded for using our products. At this time our prices are about 25 percent less than new glass, and save the landfills one windshield at a time.”