Nikolas Weinstein

Nikolas Weinstein (born 1968) is a San Francisco-based American glass artist known for his large-scale architectural sculptures. Weinstein's primary medium is Borosilicate Glass tube which he shapes using a modern kiln casting technique in custom kilns some of which include a computer-operated pin bed. Weinstein's sculptures mimic flowing fabric or origami. Several of Weinstein's sculptures hang in public buildings in Asia. His father, Richard S. Weinstein, worked in urban planning for New York City before moving to Los Angeles to become dean of the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles. His mother was a sculptor. He also studied at Université de Nantes & École des Beaux-Arts, Nantes, France

Weinstein, whose designs focus on light, shapes, and movement describes glassblowing as a “team sport”

To create the sculpture, which filters a mix of sunlight and artificial light, Weinstein enlisted an expert team including a man who designed windows for the space shuttle, a builder of mirrors for the Hubble Space Telescope, and a physicist who models random processes.

Bar Agricole, San Francisco, CA Skylights in a cocktail lounge in the San Francisco Bay area, fitted with glass sculptural “curtains” made to resemble fabric blowing in the wind, transform a formerly-abandoned warehouse space into a posh “modern urban tavern.” Listed as “the best restaurant sculpture”, the Bar Agricole artwork was designed to withstand earthquake forces over 1G. The glass curtains contribute to the building's eco-attributes by amplifying the natural light throughout the space. The sculpture is 8.8 feet wide, 53.6 feet long, and 8.4 feet high and is made of nearly 60,000 individual glass tubes. The total length of the sculpture laid end-to-end is over 11 kilometers. At 164 feet long, 39 feet wide, and 43 feet tall, it was the largest installation Weinstein completed.

Awards 2012: San Francisco Department of Commerce: Export Achievement Award, Supporting Innovation and Exports in the Bay Area. 2013: 33rd Annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design: Hospitality Design Award for sculptural glass installation, Courtyard by Marriot, Hong Kong Shat Tin.