AGRR - Winter 2005

CONTENTS

Volume 19, Issue 2 Winter 2005

proJects

Seeing Bubbles of Light: Bolle - Nardini Distilleries

To celebrate the 225th anniversary of Italy’s famous Nardini Distilleries, members of the Nardini family treated themselves to an architectural work of art, erecting a stunning glass creation designed by Massimiliano Fuksas and Doriana O. Mandrelli. The project, called Bolle, features bubbles of Glaverbel glass.

This singular structure portrays two worlds: a hanging section with two glass spheres supported by struts affording a 360-degree view of the Grappa grounds, and an underground segment that includes a 100-seat auditorium. Between the two sections, illuminated water symbolizes the volatile lightness of alcohol. It was designed as a metaphor for the distillation process.

For the spheres (bubbles), which are composed of transparent, helical, double-glazed surfaces, pyrolytic-coated glass from Glaverbel was chosen.

These insulating and curved glasses are made up of an external laminated assembly that comprises a lite of green float glass and a lite of clear Sunergy, a brand of solar control glass from Glaverbel. According to Glaverbel, the combination of the two glasses results in excellent solar protection (25 percent) and a very low level of light reflection (9 percent). For the internal glazing unit, the architect required a glass that was not just curved and laminated but one that also had a high-performance thermal coating. The chosen laminated product included a low-E glass, Planibel G, for interior thermal comfort.

High Rise Livin’: The Mark Mixed-Use Project in San Diego

Construction is now underway at the Douglas Wilson Co.’s new $150-million high-end residential and retail project called The Mark, located in downtown San Diego’s East Village.

Rising 380 feet and 32 floors, The Mark’s contemporary design will be expressed in the sleek glass and steel tower soaring above the community’s street-level town homes and retail shops. Fifty-three floor plan configurations will offer spectacular views of the bay, city and ballpark from the building’s central location just two blocks north of PETCO Park.

“Starting construction is a very exciting time for everyone involved in a new project, especially one of this scope,” said Doug Wilson, president and chief executive officer of his self-titled company. “As a developer, it is exhilarating to see your vision finally taking shape.”

Information about the types of glass that will be used, the supplier and who the installer will be are expected by the end of December.

Attractive Interlayers: Renovation of Main Branch at Carnegie Library

When the main branch at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh was renovated, it got some extra detail in its glass. The building showcases design elements in its windows, walkways and stairs made possible by DuPont’s SentryGlas® Expressions™ decorative interlayers.

The designs include illustrative images of globes, embedded within the glass to create an effect of openness and space, while dividing the computer lab from study areas.

“The decorative interlayers provide architects and designers a durable canvas to reproduce images. They offer a new dimension to the design and overall feeling of a space,” said Chris Anderson, marketing manager for DuPont SentryGlas® Expressions™.

Pittsburgh’s Edge Studio selected the glass interlayers for the project because they enable designers and architects to create custom projects in a prompt design-to-production process.

“Architecturally, it allowed us to integrate graphics that would entice the user to explore all areas of the library and go deeper toward the discovery of research. The product gave us an advantage in directing people more clearly, while also creating serendipitous areas of the library,” said Gary Carlough, principal architect at Edge Studios.

Keeping Off the Glare: A Showpiece in a Chicago Skyscraper

Amiran® anti-reflective glass from SCHOTT North America Inc. provides glare reduction, a high level of durability and high light transmission – all reasons why it was used on the 111 South Wacker Drive skyscraper in Chicago. The architects at Lohan Caprile Goettsch and builders from the John Buck Co. used an innovative cable net system to support a wall of anti-reflective glass, creating an open, transparent effect.

The building design includes a 44-foot high, curved water-white glass wall supported by 1-inch-diameter vertical cables that enclose the ground lobby. During the day, those passing by can see into the lobby clearly as if they were standing in front of an open-air room. Once the sun goes down, patrons in the lobby get a breathtaking view of South Wacker Drive because normal window glass has been installed on higher floors and in the surrounding buildings.

Not only does the glass’s high-performance glazing reduce reflections to less than one percent, but according to the company, it also reduces lighting and energy costs since less interior light is needed to overcome glare. It also reduces cooling costs in the summer months because less lighting means less heat build-up.

According to the company, a triple dip-coating and high temperature processing makes the product durable. It can be tempered or laminated for safety glazing, and the company says its ultraviolet transmittance is significantly lower than ordinary glass.

Get Moduline, It Pays: Metropolitan Life Headquarters

When Metropolitan Life decided to update its landmark New York headquarters building located at One Madison Ave., architects Building Conservation Associates Inc. of New York got the call to design the renovation. The construction manager and glazing contractor, both from New York, selected Moduline Window Systems, part of the Vistawall Group of Terrell, Texas, to supply windows that replicated the sightlines of the original wood double-hung windows that were first installed in 1904 and later replaced with aluminum pivoted windows.

To match the sightlines and profiles of the landmarked windows, Moduline designed a custom fixed and operable window. The custom deep-fixed and projected window system was supplied with 3.25-inch deep Evenline operating vents and in-swinging façade vent. The arched windows at the top of the building were painted gold to match the building’s gold-leaf cupola roof.