Design Project Profile « The Solutia World of Color Awards™

Design Project Profile: The Funenpark

February 21st, 2012

Architect: Frits van Dongen, de Architekten Cie.
Designers: Christa Rinzema, Adriaan Mout, Dick Scholten and Alejandro Hernandez, Stephan Oehlers

Which city does not need to combat urban depopulation? City centres are gradually emptying, resulting in deserted streets and abandoned dwellings, with office buildings replacing homes, taking away any feeling of warmth.

Amsterdam wanted to reverse this trend and so, close to the narrow canals that are characteristic of the Dutch capital, rises the Funen. It’s not just an architectural project, it’s a hybrid concept – a combination of homes, workplaces and nature in the centre of Amsterdam. Frits van Dongen, a partner with the architects, Architekten Cie., has created an astonishing location.

Around a central park, various styles of houses and apartments are hidden away amongst the greenery, like “Secret Treasures”. The architect’s influences are numerous and varied. He has taken his inspiration from traditional closed urban blocks, more open developments including courtyard layouts, as well as from German “Siedlungen” and English “Garden Cities”. His imagination has created a countryside area right in the densely packed city centre of Amsterdam: an absolute delight for future residents!

In order to protect this parkland residential area, Frits van Dongen has envisaged a block of apartments separating the Funen from the railway line, to the East of the site. And to dress its façade, the architect has used laminated glass with Vanceva^® interlayers covering the whole length of the block. For a full 5000 m2, Vanceva^® becomes the coloured shell of the Funen, as well as its most recognizable feature! In fact, train passengers can read the word “Funenpark” on the facade. To achieve this effect, Vanceva^® coloured films have been integrated into the short sections of the saw-tooth laminated glass, allowing the facade to constantly change its appearance thanks to the palette of shades, that can be seen from both the inside and outside of the building – colouring the 5000 m2 surface yellow, green, pink, blue and orange. The East facing facade is bathed in light when the Sun is in the South, reaching right into the building – delighting and astonishing train passengers on every journey!

Vanceva^® has become the building’s second skin and its distinguishing feature to the outside world.

The Vanceva^® interlayers also provide soundproofing, since the railway line is very busy and therefore noisy. The laminated glass incorporating Vanceva^® films is more effective in reducing noise than all conventional glazing systems and limits the surge effects of frequency ranges of between 1000 and 2000 Hertz. The sound-proofing properties of laminated glass thereby reduce the nuisance caused by nearby rail traffic.

The Funen is a complex comprising 312 homes, a business area (offices) of 3000 m2, an underground car-park with 235 spaces, as well as shops and restaurants. It’s a complete way of “urban” life which is gradually being recreated on this former industrial site.

The Funen is a truly groundbreaking project, a new concept in town planning, which encourages residents not to leave the city but to come back and live here without losing all the benefits of other devolved districts. While many other cities are suffering from depopulation, Amsterdam is winning the battle to repopulate its city centre.

Design Project Profile: The Lapis Spa at the Fontainebleau

February 17th, 2012

Architect: HKS, Inc.
Window Manufacturer: Accurate Glass Works, Inc.
Glazing Contractor: Viracon

A daring curved design by architect Morris Lapidus helped make Miami’s Fontainebleau resort an architectural icon when it opened in 1954. Indeed, it w as a leading social and cultural hotspot for decades before falling into disrepair. In early 2005, new ownership embarked on a project to revitalize the property and restore it to its former glory. Plans called for the addition of a world-class spa – a freestanding building on the property that would serve as a soothing oasis for guests.

A renowned lighting artist originally created the concept for the spa: a pristine vibrant, crystalline structure that would glimmer and sparkle in the night lights by the pool area. It was the job of architects at Dallas-based HKS, Inc. to turn this concept into a design.

Their design was a contemporary jewel box, a striking glass structure with canted walls. The two-story, 40,000 square-foot building would house the Lapis Spa, along with a sleek rooftop restaurant.

Glass selection was critical. From an aesthetic perspective, architects were searching for a blue glass that would complement the colors of the surroundings and offer reflections of the historic Lapidus architecture. From a performance standpoint, the glass needed to meet Miami’s tough large missile impact requirements and hurricane codes while also providing energy efficiency.

The first challenge was engineering the 10-degree lean-out insulating glass curtainwall to meet Miami’s stringent building code requirements. The team at Accurate Glass Works Inc. developed a solution by modifying a YKK curtainwall system to lean out with horizontal members parallel to the ground.

With the unusual cant and greater spans, glass performance was critical. Viracon worked closely with Accurate Glass Works to find the glass and interlayer combination that would meet stringent Miami-Dade building codes for hurricane resistance. The solution was a 1-5/16” insulating laminated glass with a .075 Vanceva^® Storm interlayer.

Due to the complexity of the design, the system h ad to be tested with a full-scale mock-up. However, with a very tight time frame, Accurate Glass Works and Viracon knew the design needed to pass on the first attempt.

“We were brought into this project later in the process than usual, so we knew we had to get everything right and pass all testing the first time around. There was no room for failure,” says Rob Parker, president of Accurate Glass Works. “We worked closely with Viracon to select a glass and interlayer that would provide the strength and durability necessary to meet all requirements. With their help, we met all requirements on our first test.”

Meanwhile, Viracon also worked closely with the architects to select a glass substrate and coatings that would meet aesthetic and performance demands. To create a structure that would fit with its surroundings and provide a soothing environment befitting a world-class spa, architects selected Versalux^® Blue 2000 glass substrate with Viracon’s VRE-46 coating.

Viracon’s VRE coatings provide a neutral exterior color and allow two-way vision under varying light conditions. It allows increased light transmittance while also reducing solar heat gain. “We chose a VRE coating for a number of reasons. Energy efficiency was important. Because the spa would have varying temperatures inside for its various treatments, we wanted a glass and coating that wouldn’t allow heat gain or heat loss,” says Rick Lee, AIA, LEED^® AP, principal at HKS. “We also wanted the exterior of the building to have a consistent look, top to bottom, and we wanted a surface that would reflect its surroundings.”

The building’s design incorporates three different “bands” of glass – vision glass, spandrel glass and translucent glass – glass that would let light in while protecting the privacy of spa guests enjoying their treatments.

The glass, adds Lee, turned out exactly as envisioned. “We got color, appearance, energy efficiency and impact resistance,” he says. “The result is a unique piece of contemporary architecture that is respectful of its historic surroundings.”

Design Project Profile: Knutpunkten

February 13th, 2012

Architect: Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB
Glazing Manufacturer: Gemax Glas AB

Knutpunkten in Mölndal is, next to the Nils Ericsson-terminal in Gothenburg, the most important bus and railway station in the region.

The process of renewing the station and turning it in to an attractive part of the city begun with a competition for architects in year 2000. The winning entry from Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB, used laminated glass with Vanceva^® interlayers to give the station building its characteristic and vibrant look that catches peoples eyes. The building’s design resembles the terminals you see in today’s modern airports.

The laminated glass especially comes to its right during nighttime, when the glass is illuminated from the inside and makes the building a beautiful, glowing experience.

Furthermore, the building has a shape and structure that makes it appear as if it was floating above the tracks and connects two parts of the community, which are divided by one of the main highways of Gothenburg. The unique shape in combination with the laminated glass in many colours has made the building a central and important part of Mölndal.

The architects at Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB wanted to create a positive and cheerful attitude that would become an eye catching experience, and to do this they used the laminated glass with Vanceva^® interlayers. They also chose the laminated glass for the building because of its ability to withstand weather and sound.

Bengt Odlöw, local government commissioner, Mölndal, has expressed his positive and proud feelings on the project stating, “Knutpunkten has become a welcoming and positive passing place both for the city’s inhabitants and for travelers passing by. Today it is a natural centre for public transport and a beautiful asset to Mölndal’s inhabitants”.

The new bus and railway station not only connects the public transport in an effective way, but also contributes to a more beautiful townscape. The accessibility to the central parts of Mölndal has also increased considerably through Knutpunkten.

theWit: Arresting Glass Accents Attract Visitors from All Over

February 1st, 2012

The unique glass façade of theWit immediately stands out to passerby thanks to the striking chartreuse accent that zigzags up the face of the building. The design both adds safety to the building and reflects the exciting aesthetic of theWit’s location in Chicago’s theater district. Reminiscent of flashing marquee lights, the bright zigzag accent has helped theWit to become a prominent location for tourists and locals alike to visit. Architect Jackie Koo says of the project, “I’m really pleased with the way it turned out, but I’m most pleased about how it has successfully become a member of the community. It’s not just a destination for tourists; it is a part of the Chicago street scene and has revitalized a formerly derelict corner of the Loop.”

Project Category: Exterior

Project Name: theWit

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Glass Laminator: Viracon

Glazier: Trainor Glass Company

Photographer Credit: James and Connor Steinkamp

Koo and Associates

Architect: Jackie Koo

Address: 53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 235, Chicago, IL 60604

Phone: 312-276-8459

Design Project Profile: Melrose Arch Apartments

January 30th, 2012

Architect: Nicolas Sack, Albonico Sack Mzumara
Glass Manufacturer: GSA

The intensity and luminosity of coloured glass has been used as a counterpoint to the crisp, ultra-modern, neo-urban style of one of the most upmarket property developments in Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city and most influenti al commercial centre.

Built in one of Johannesburg’s luxurious suburbs, Melrose Arch is among the country’s first mixed-use precincts – incorporating offices, retail stores, banks, medical facilities, penthouses, apartments, roof gardens, three award-winning restaurants, a luxury boutique hotel, and a three-storey Virgin Active gym.

A focus of interest for local and international corporate property investors, Melrose Arch operates as a city within a city.

It represents an emerging trend among South Africans to integrate the intimacy of their homes with the dynamism and diversity of high-street living in order to more readily access urban luxuries and give expression to an avante garde lifestyle.

Style and innovation rather than mere utility have been the basis for all the architectural and design briefs. Accordingly, architect Nicolas Sack of Albonico Sack Mzumara opted for two exterior lifts for the four-storey Melrose Arch Apartments. Faced with a challenge when he was unable to source brass cladding to shield the lifts from the sun, as specified in the original detail, he began to think in terms of glass, which could be installed in the existing aluminum framing system.

It was important that the glass would not crack under changes in day-night temperatures and would also provide some UV protection. In addition, if coloured glass were to be used, there had to be guarantees that the colours would not fade.

Sack designed the colours used on the lift shaft to follow the rainbow spectrum, passing from red at the top to violet at the bottom. Barry Holness, project manager for construction company Murray and Roberts, says that residents are delighted by the play of the colours on the lift shafts themselves and on the interior of the building. “Because the angle of the sun shifts during the day, every time you step into the lift you’re encased in different colours and therefore experience a different mood.”

By bringing a sense of the rich but clear quality of coloured glass into a high-tech environment, the Vanceva^® interlaid glass used on the lift shafts has become a vibrant contributor to the panache and elegance of Melrose Arch as a precinct and to the emotional and intellectual stimulation of its residents.

All Children’s Hospital: Colored Glass Windows Inspire Children Patients to Heal and Imagine

January 26th, 2012

Hospitals are, by necessity, often large, utilitarian buildings. But that doesn’t mean they can’t also be cheerful, colorful, and kid-friendly. The All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida exemplifies this idea with a design that incorporates many glass windows in bright, fun colors. Project architect Ted Heldenbrand at Karlsberger perhaps summed it up best: “When we design hospitals, we design from the patient room out,” he says. “We wanted the patient rooms to be cheerful and colorful, and we extended that aesthetic into the glass windows.” For the children patients, the brightly colored windows inspire their imaginations and make the entire hospital experience less intimidating and more accessible.

Studies have shown that in hospitals, daylit interiors can help buoy patient morale and improve healing, so windows were a necessity in the All Children’s Hospital design. In Florida, however, glass needs to be able to provide hurricane protection as well as frame the views. Laminated glass provided a good solution because the PVB interlayers can stand up to damaging storms and also have the bright colors that inspire children to heal.

Project Category: Exterior

Project Name: All Children’s Hospital

Location: St. Petersburg, Florida

Glass Laminator/Supplier: Viracon, Inc.

Photographer Credit: Bann Tanner Photography – Michael L. Rixon

Karlsberger

Architect: Ted Heldenbrand

Address: 99 East Main Street, Columbus, OH 43215

Phone: 614-461-9500

Casa de Bonecas: Bright, Imaginative Use of Glass Creates a Fun, Interactive Children’s Space

January 24th, 2012

The playful colors and futuristic design of the Casa de Bonecas makes this modern dollhouse a favorite among children and their parents. Lilac, pink, and blue take center stage in this space, creating a modern, but entertaining atmosphere for children to play. While missing some of the more traditional aspects of a children’s playhouse, the Casa de Bonecas wholly embraces the distinctive “sized-down” features of a dollhouse. Included in the design are child-size furniture, an abundance of toys and books, and even a miniature Barbie® chandelier. Children love to play and imagine inside the vividly hued space and parents appreciate the high visibility allowed by the uninterrupted transparency of the glass.

To achieve this continuous view, architect Brunete Fraccaroli minimized the use of structural connectors, so that the laminated glass is supported only by a few beams. Fraccaroli explained her affinity for using glass in the design, saying, “We can use it to separate the environments without losing the interactivity…it is a lightweight material and has characteristics of modernity.”

In this play space, the laminated glass also provides health and environmental benefits. The use of glass reduces the need for electric lighting, so children receive a healthy amount of natural sunlight that they wouldn’t normally get playing in an indoor space. Also, the glass controls the absorbance of heat and UV rays into the building, rendering heating and air conditioning almost unnecessary.

Project Category: Exterior

Project Name: Casa de Bonecas

Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

Glass Fabricator: Serie SunGuard Guardian

Photographer Credit: Romulo Fialdini

Architect: Brunete Fraccaroli

Brunete Fraccaroli Arquitetura e Interiores

Address: Rua Batataes, 460 – 4º andar – Jardim Paulista

São Paulo São Paulo 01423-010

Phone: 55 11 3885-8309

Design Project Profile: Jade Ocean

January 13th, 2012

Architect: Carlos Ott, Uruguay
Builder: Coscan Construction
Glass Fabricator: Viracon
Glazing Contractor: Permasteelisa

The Miami skyline is home to a gleaming condominium tower, Jade Ocean. The tower, owned by Fortune Development and designed by world-renowned architect Carlos Ott of Uruguay, has become what is believed to be the first impact-resistant condominium curtainwall in the country.

Although Jade Ocean is loaded with innovative design elements, from multi-story waterfalls to sunrise and sunset infinity pools, glass is the real star of the project. In fact, after seeing Carlos Ott’s concept, the first step Fortune Development took was to select a curtainwall engineer and glass fabricator – even before choosing a general contractor. Permasteelisa North America, the world’s leading curtainwall manufacturer and Viracon, the country’s largest single-source glass fabricator, got the nod.

Due to an incredibly unique and colorful design, coupled with a need to meet Miami-Dade hurricane building codes, Fortune Development decided to make the glass and skin fabrication its top priority.

Ott’s design called for a 51-floor tower enveloped in a pure glass skin. Instead of a standard squared crown, Ott envisioned a radius curtainwall that arches back into the building. While most condominium towers consist of window wall systems, the design called for a pure, sparkling glass veneer. “The architectural elements of the façade would not have been captured as eloquently with a window wall system,” says Andrew Richards, owner’s representative at Fortune International, who was highly involved in the design and glass selection process. “The curtainwall design allows the building to be viewed as planes rather than only three dimensionally.”

“While curtain wall is often used in buildings such as offices and hotels, condominiums are usually window wall,” adds Maria Caleyo, project manager at Permasteelisa North America. “This is the first time we’ve worked on an impact condo curtainwall. Together with Viracon, we worked with the architectural team from the very beginning of the project to create the unique framing and glass system.”

Permasteelisa’s Miami team immediately set out to design the custom curtainwall system, which had to meet stringent hurricane code requirements and support durable impact resistant glass. While they focused on the frame, Viracon tackled the glass.

“With more than 300,000 square feet of external glass, selecting the right colors and coatings was critical,” says Jeff Rigot, Viracon’s architectural representative for Florida. “Not only did the glass need to create a very specific aesthetic, but it also needed to provide exceptional hurricane and energy performance and meet Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Turtle Codes.”

Architects and owners wanted the building to evoke a subtle “sparkle” effect and wanted occupants to have a comfortable living experience. With Viracon’s help, the team ultimately opted to use two colors of glass to create distinct vertical lines on the façade, while providing owners with an energy efficient living environment.

“Viracon was extremely helpful and provided numerous samples for evaluation,” says Richards. “Without their full cooperation, we may not have been able to achieve the results we did.”

Gray glass with a low-e coating, Viracon’s VH13-50 product, was chosen for bands which primarily enclose living units. With a visible light transmittance of 50 percent, the glass allows ample natural daylight to flow into the living spaces without flooding them with excessive light. The Low-E glass also provides excellent radiant heat reduction, or shading coefficient characteristics, to help improve energy performance. The Low-E coating is ideal for living spaces, as it allows for two-way vision and lower reflectivity. The coating gives the glass a flat or natural look, which provides a beautiful contrast to the other glass used in the building.

The gray bands are alternated with a royal blue reflective glass, Viracon’s VT-40 product, to add shimmer and shine. This reflective coating gives the glass a mirror-like appearance and reduces solar heat gain through high solar reflection. The VT-40 product adds a shiny, crisp aesthetic to the building’s exterior but still allows 40 percent light transmission for comfortable interior spaces.

Although creating a custom impact curtainwall system for the entire building was quite an undertaking, designing the radius curtainwall crown was a feat in itself. “The team at Permasteelisa designed and engineered a phenomenal structural steel membrane to support the innovative arched top,” says Rigot. “The striking shape, combined with Viracon’s VS9-08 royal blue glass with a highly reflective coating
will brilliantly light up the sky.”

A Saflex PVB interlayer was incorporated into the glass throughout the curtainwall to meet impact requirements. The protective interlayer was also incorporated into the sliding door systems created and installed by Continental Glass Systems in Miami.

In order to closely monitor and control the quality of the finished product, the entire curtainwall was pre-glazed at Permasteelisa’s Miami facility and brought to the job site in large trucks.

Reaction to the building has been very positive. “Everyone is very happy with the finished product,” says Caleyo. With the dynamic mix of colors, coatings and design, Jade Ocean is true gem in Miami.

New Hampshire Institute of Art: Colorful Glass Embraces Long Tradition of Art

January 10th, 2012

A bright rainbow of glass panels greets students, teachers, and visitors to the New Hampshire Institute of Art. The six-story addition was meant to respond to the various façades of the historic building and provide a backdrop for its strong, pitched roof. Utilizing sustainable technology, the design of the building merges high efficiency electrical lighting, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and natural lighting and ventilation with high design standards that embrace both the old and the new of the Institute.

Project Category: Exterior
Project Name: New Hampshire Institute of Art
Location: 88 Lowell Street, Manchester, NH
Glass Supplier: OldCastle Building Envelope™
Glazing Contractor: Granite State Glass
Photographer Credit: Michael Rixon

The Architects
Architect: Dennis Mires, P.A.
Address: 697 Union Street, Manchester, NH
Phone: (603) 625-4548

Design Project Profile: Parkhaus Auto Garage

January 5th, 2012

Architect: Kny & Weber, Berlin
Laminator: Thiele-Glaswerke, Wermsdorf
Building Owner: Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Berlin-Mitte

The parking garage is located in the Rathausstraße at close quarters to the “red guildhall”, at the foot of the television tower and just a few steps away from the popular Alexanderplatz.

In old Berlin, this area always had the character of a turning platform for tens of thousands using the suburban railway and their ways crossing at this point every day. Numerous places of interest are nearby, like the Nikolaiviertel, the Gendarmenmarkt or the famous avenue “Unter den Linden”.

The architecture firm Kny & Weber was assigned to carry out the planning for both parking garages and the bordering block of offices. The main focus of the architects was put on the functional arrangement of the parking garage under the best possible utilization of the existing areas as a parking areal, guaranteeing harmonic integration of the shopping arcades and a seamless affiliation of the office block.

The building accommodates seven fashion shops, two cafes, one bakery, two fast food restaurants, one ice shop, one Italian restaurant, seven one-line businesses with various offers, one supermarket, one bowling alley, one pharmacy, one telephone shop, one kiosk, one hairdresser, one travel agency, one tanning salon, one post office and two surgeries. That results in 32 one-line businesses overall.

The facade of the parking garage is very expressive and colourful. Having had the help of the Vanceva® sample board, the facade was assembled out of numerous colouring tones. These colours ease and relax the appearance of the parking garage which are quite miserable in usual.

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