Frosted glass provides

The pattered glass which coats Leicesters new John Lewis department store offers layered transparency, its designers explain.

Described by the Guardian as an "extraordinary piece of architectural eye-candy", the facade not only provides the structure with a striking aesthetic, but also serves a more practical purpose.

Writing in the publication, sector commentator Jonathan Glancey notes that almost all of the £44 million buildings four walls are made out of glass.

As such, the frosted, mirror-finished swirls and curls serve to keep people working in the building cooler.

"Its striking facade was derived from a fabric design commissioned by Richard Ovey, a London linen-draper, way back in 1803," Mr Glancey adds.

Farshid Moussavi and Alejandro Zaera Polo, founding partners of Foreign Office Architects, tell the resource that the design could be interpreted as a play on traditional Indian decoration or a net curtain.

There are 26 John Lewis department stores across the UK.