The Solutia World of Color Awards™ | Inspired by Vanceva®

Building Owner: Metropolitan Construction Company
Architectural Firm: Shin Takamatsu

On a motorway to Taiwan from the Taipei airport gleams a magnificent and sparkling jewel-like building, located in the center of a bustling new business park designed for information technology and biotechnology companies. Metropolitan Construction Company, who named the building “Black Pearl,” commissioned this project to be built not only as prime real estate but also as a landmark. Cross-shaped LED lights mounted at the intersection of each window sash create the effect of constellations of shining stars on the buildings exterior – set against a pristine black, subtly curved glass façade that corresponds to the “flowing” shape of the Keeloung River which winds in front of the building.

Black Pearl is surrounded by buildings with light colored panels and glazing, further highlighting the arresting black appearance of the building. Solutia’s black Saflex™ interlayers for glass were chosen to create the intrigue and mystique surrounding the building, which has been called a sparkling wonder in the night.

“We chose to explore ‘heaviness’ as the primary design theme. The heaviness is similar to what small jewelry possesses.  It intrigues people, encouraging the creation of a bond between them,” says Shin Takamatsu, architect for the Black Pearl project.

The glazing of Black Pearl was also designed to help withstand Taiwan’s occasional earthquakes and typhoons. While laminated glass may crack, it tends to stay within the frame, providing added safety during an earthquake or typhoon.   The Saflex protective interlayer in laminated glass helps glass fragments stay in place, protecting people from injuries resulting from wind-borne debris.

Windows can also be the weak link in the transmission of unwanted sound into a building. Just as a window lets in light, it can also transmit noise from sources such as airplanes, traffic, and heavy machinery. The Black Pearl architects also selected Saflex because it dampens the vibration of the glass, thus reducing transmitted sound.

Technically, a three-dimensional smooth façade was realized by dividing the building’s surface into 1598 areas and covering them with 799 patterned flat glass panels. To combat the sunny climate in Taiwan, Shin Takamatsu employed a special gray-film laminated glass (visible light transmittance rate: 0.44%, UV cut rate: 99%, reflectance value: 0.67), to reduce glare and improve office working conditions. By controlling direct sunlight, the glass reduces energy requirements for air-conditioning.

Architect: Shohreh Davar Panah – Sarre, Atelier Architectes
Laminator: Pilkington
Building Owner: City of Paris, Paris, France

We have all dreamt of a candy-coloured school at some point in our lives. Well, architect Shohreh Davar took this childhood dream as inspiration for the new decor of the crèche situated on rue Lauzin in the 19th district of Paris.  With a hint of imagination, a pinch of naughtiness and a wealth of creativity, she transformed the school facade into a brightly coloured sweet wrapper.

Sho Davar Panah, the architect in charge of the project, dabbled with a palette of eight colours to come up with a pattern of bright tones set out like fragments of barley sugar along the school wall. Each colour, whether apple green, violet, pink, azure blue or yellow, shines in the light of the next one.

Davar simply states, “The random patchwork of colours evokes a childlike fantasy of sweets!” We can’t argue with that.

The internal and external architectural environment of the crèche was crucial in the development of the senses of the children it looks after. The architects were keen to provide the children with bright colours and began by looking at the possibility of graffiti drawings.  They later opted for transparent glass with coloured inserts as this was the optimum solution for marrying colour with clarity and brightness. All of the shades chosen contribute to the well-being of the children and impart a lighter and more childlike feel on to the building and the district as a whole.

This colourful glass façade truly gives a fresh boost to the 1970s buildings and has updated the image of the 19th district of Paris wonderfully.

Builder: Tishman Realty & Construction Co., Inc.
Architectural Firm: Arquitectonica
Laminator: Viracon
Glass Installer: Permasteelisa

Within walking distance to the world’s finest retail shops, dining establishments, and entertainment venues, the Westin New York at Times Square flawlessly marries architecture and art.  The trendy hotel creates a dramatic and vivacious entrance to Times Square, combining the best of style and design.

Miami’s acclaimed architectural firm, Arquitectonica, designed the Westin New York at Times Square with a stunning 45-story “prism” tower featuring 8,000 sheets of glass in ten colors, split by a 355-foot-long curving beam of light soaring above the New York City skyline. “At roof level, the arched light form projects beyond the physical bounds of the structure into the Times Square night,” says Laurinda Spear, FAIA, principal and co-founder of Arquitectonica. “The blending of glass, color and light reflects the spirit of Times Square.”

Numerous obstacles were overcome to bring the massive project to fruition.  The hotel was built on a 17,500-square foot locale on one of the busiest corners in midtown Manhattan. “This was a very challenging job from laminator’s perspective,” says Pam Ellis, customer service manager at Viracon, an industry leader in glass fabrication.  “It took 15 months to produce the glass, while the average is usually six to nine months,” said Ellis. “The glass shapes were unique – we had to create triangles and trapezoids as well as traditional rectangles. This required laying out laminates on the diagonal to achieve the required shapes. Along with the sheer number of glass configurations, the glass shapes added to the project complexity.”

A total of 180,000 square feet of glass went into the façade of the building with 34 different combinations of interlayers in various configurations. Solutia’s Vanceva® Design colored interlayers were laminated into the glazing used in the entire hotel façade of the building. Gold, copper, blue, green, violet, silver, white, and aqua were chosen from the Vanceva Design color line.

The project took over eight years and $322 million dollars to complete. The Westin is the largest groundup construction of a hotel in New York City in the past 17 years, according to industry resources. It remains an inspiration to the design community and truly represents an inspired use of color.

Courtesy of jury member Fermín Vázquez

Architect: Fermín Vázquez b720
Laminator: Cricursa Cridecor Vanceva 6.6 (www.cricursa.com)

When we completed the work on the office building at Carrer Mestre Nicolau number 19, I asked Rafael Vargas to create a portfolio of photographs that would serve as the basis for an exercise half way between recording and analysis, on the architectural sense and consequences of having used colour. Through the use of an architectural device that is simple in principle (a horizontal brise-soleil) but sophisticated in conception (range of colours, density of shades, arrangement of the bands) and precise in execution (a slender stainless steel section grips each strip of glass along its length and discrete clips fix it to the facade) we aimed to respond to our client’s commission: avoid the anonymity of the typical expensively refurbished office building.

The project consisted of transforming an administrative building between party walls, with significant structural problems, into an office building with all the flexibility and services expected of such construction.  The new façade identifies it as a contemporary corporative building. Colour is a tool used to incorporate it into its residential setting.  Each strip is an assembly of different coloured segments, such that, from the front the composition of this glass screen san finally be clearly seen; a juxtaposition of vertical, monochrome bands passing through successive gradations from red, to orange, to yellow, to pale green.

It is satisfying to think that our work has served as a pretext to enable us to think about color as a delicate resource in the hands of an architect. Without the confidence and trust of a client like Layetana it would have been impossible to carry out this project. Also, Circusa and Solutia, thanks to their exceptional technical expertise and their commitment to our architectural aims, enabled us to achieve the subtle transitions of colours we were seeking for the glazing of the facade. This strong urban signal provides solar protection for the offices that lay behind it as well.