Designing a safer pint glass
Two revolutionary prototype pint glasses have been designed to reduce the injuries caused by glassing attacks.
The designs represent the first major advance in pub glassware since the 1960s and feature new high-tech ways of using glass, so they feel the same as conventional glasses, but crucially do not create loose, dangerous shards if broken.
Although alcohol related violence has fallen by 33 per cent since 1997 there remain 87,000 violent incidents involving glass each year, which in addition to the impact on victims, their families and communities, costs the NHS an estimated £2.7 billion.
Designing the next generation British pint glass
Watch this film about how the Design Out Crime project has addressed the problem of alcohol related violence.
Watch Designing the next generation British pint glass on Vimeo.
Specialist design consultancy, Design Bridge, used early research results from InnovationRCA, the business network of the Royal College of Art.
We've compiled a book full of research and insights which Design Bridge have had to work with, to help others understand the complex issues around glassings and alcohol related violence in the UK.
There are still plenty of other opportunities for designers to create their own solutions to alcohol-related violence and for the drinks industry to commission them. What could you do with this information?
Download a PDF copy of the Alcohol Insights book
Design Bridge used the insights in this book to help create dozens of initial concepts.
Browse through pictures of Design Bridge's initial concepts on Flickr or join the Design Council Facebook page to see and discuss the concepts.
These initial ideas were assessed by leading glass manufacturers, materials experts, drinks producers and pub owners before the two final solutions were chosen.
Glass Plus
This looks just like a regular pint glass but has a thin transparent coating of bio-resin on the inside. This makes it stronger and if the glass is broken it binds together dangerous shards - drastically reducing the likelihood of injury to customers and staff.
See renders of the final concepts on Flickr
Twin Wall
A revolutionary design, made by bonding two ultra-thin layers of glass together in a concept similar to laminated car windscreens. It makes the pint glass extremely difficult to break, but in the event that it does smash, any dangerous shards would be safely held together by a layer of resin.
Development of the prototypes, combined with further safety testing under laboratory conditions, will now take place before the glasses are tested in a pubs and clubs.
As part of the Design Out Crime programme, the Design Council is already in talks with major pub chains about trialling the Glass Plus glasses, which it is hoped will be ready within 12 months. The Twin Wall designs will be further refined in consultation with manufacturers to investigate possible large scale production processes.