Abbruzzese (Inglas Vetri) “Glass's historical limit, its fragility, has been overcome”

Inglas Vetri was founded in 1974 in Santa Maria a Monte, in the province of Pisa, as an artisan glassworks. Today, it operates in the yachting sector, developing custom glass surfaces for hulls, superstructures, and interiors, with applications ranging from new builds to refits. Its production includes laminated and chemically tempered glass, as well as transparency control solutions. SUPER YACHT 24 interviewed Graziana Abbruzzese, the company's CEO, to learn more about the technological evolution of glass in yachting and the new demands of shipyards and designers.

What are the main product innovations you are working on?
Three products set us apart. The first is called One Way and is our flagship product, becoming a standard feature on Bluegame models. It's a glass designed to ensure privacy: it prevents people from looking inside, while still allowing them to enjoy the view from the cabin. We're also working on Sunblock, a glass that becomes opaque when heated by the sun's rays. It's ideal for hardtops because it blocks IR and UV rays, ensuring comfort inside and beneath the glass. When the sun sets and the temperature drops, it becomes transparent again, allowing you to see outside. The third is Switch, a glass that allows you to vary its level of transparency, from total to opaque, with all the shades in between. It's used primarily for interior applications, but we plan to introduce it appropriately for the exterior windows of boats as well.

You mentioned Bluegame, can you explain the characteristics of One Way glass?
"From the outside, they appear almost invisible and identical to the color of the hull. From the inside, however, the glass appears black, but the view is captured by the pattern of transparent holes and the eye cancels out the black film, perceiving only the light and therefore the outside."

How are requests from shipyards and designers evolving?
"In recent years, evolution has been exponential. We've overcome glass's historical limitation—its fragility—by incorporating rigid plastics like SG (Sentryglas) and using chemical and thermal tempering. In some cases, glass has become virtually indestructible, especially when applied to hulls, where 3.04 or 4.56 mm plastics (very thick structural interlayers) are used. This has allowed us to broaden our horizons: today, superstructures are almost entirely made of glass, and sitting on a yacht with a 360-degree view of the sea is a wonderful feeling. The same goes for cabins and sleeping quarters, where you can enjoy a view of the sea from the water's edge, significantly improving the quality of life on board."

What are the innovations that are changing the sector?
"The real revolution is the ability to install external glass to ensure privacy by adjusting the level of opacity. This is a strong trend, as already happened with the One Way system, which allows for the elimination of curtains and the use of glass as a functional privacy feature. The other major revolution is the use of resistant plastics, which has allowed for increased glass surfaces, changing the concept of glass on yachts."

Is the weight of the glass a problem?
“The issue of weight exists, but it has been partially resolved thanks to very rigid and resistant plastics that allow for a reduction in thickness compared to monolithic glass or glass laminated with softer plastics, lightening the overall weight.”

What role does glass play today in reducing energy consumption?
"There are interlayers and glass that repel solar rays and provide thermal insulation, even for boats sailing in the North Sea that require protection from the cold. Thermal glass can be made that is more complex in construction, but very effective. Added to this is our Sunblock, which features plastics capable of shielding IR and UV rays, increasing interior comfort."

Optical quality on large panels is a fundamental aspect.

"Shipyards are increasingly sensitive to this issue. For curved glass, we use chemical tempering, which hardens the glass without altering its optical quality. Alterations are typical of thermal tempering, especially on flat or curved glass, because the 650° process and rapid cooling, along with the rollers, leave marks on the glass. The most important shipyards almost always require chemical tempering, even for large flat glass units, precisely to avoid optical alterations."

What do construction sites require today?
"It's essential to be well-versed in mathematical analysis and 3D drawing development. Today, we work almost exclusively on 3D surveying and modeling, even for curved glass. Furthermore, great speed is required: we often have to reschedule production for a broken glass pane, or for a boat that needs to be launched or departed. Organization and speed are essential."

Does technical quality or price matter more?
"At these levels, quality certainly matters, without overlooking price. The fact that shipyards are moving toward chemical tempering even for flat glass, despite the higher costs, demonstrates that quality is a priority."

Is there a project that you consider your flagship?
"Among the most notable, I'd mention the Heesen Quinta Essentia, a superyacht with numerous exterior doors opening onto terraces, all curved with double-layer and thermal glass. We also work with companies that make portholes and glass for many Riva, Ferretti, and recently Sunreef models."

Has the issue of sustainability impacted production?
"Yes, it's an issue we all need to raise awareness about. We've introduced purifiers that allow us to reuse water, achieving almost zero consumption, despite the high level of use in grinding processes. We're also working on eliminating pollutants, for example by researching increasingly high-performance, yet less impactful, edge-screening varnishes."

What are your main markets?
"Definitely Italian glass, and we also supply glass to Poland and the United Kingdom. But the most important shipyards in the world are ours; the nautical industry speaks Italian."

How does Italy position itself in international competition?
"We excel in the nautical industry thanks to quality and flexibility. Our mentality avoids standardization, which is unwelcome. Boats must be unique to the owner, and this requires adaptability in terms of curvature, dimensions, and solutions. Other nations tend to standardize, but we have an inventiveness that sets us apart."

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