Smooth riding
Automobiles Lauzon, a Canadian Porsche dealership in Laval, Quebec, was designed by Design Forum of Dayton, Ohio, to reflect a "high-tech" image. The firm chose 4mm Alucobond aluminum composite material in Porsche Silver with a PVDF three-coat paint system. The large, curving metallic mass drives visual attention downward toward the product showroom area and, at night, is even more visible.
Alcan Composites USA Inc.
Reader Service No. 357
Lake reflect
Chicago's McCormick Place building addition called for more than a mile of curtain wall, which had to meet severe load and wind deflection requirements. In addition, the design required unusually wide units to provide unobstructed views of Lake Michigan. Custom Superwall steel clad and pre-glazed unitized curtain wall feature units 25 ft. to 30 ft. wide and up to 30 ft. tall. Orthagonal-shaped mullions and operable vents were used on the curtain wall as well.
Wausau.
Reader Service No. 358
Two-shade cladding
The Civic Square II, a two-building project in New Brunswick, N.J., needed to incorporate two finishes into one exterior cladding panel. Architect Rothe-Johnson-Fantacone of Edison, N.J., chose Slenderwall exterior cladding system to cover a total of 44,358 sq. ft. of exterior wall. The panels selected for the job used a combination of "bright white" architectural precast concrete accents with clay "thin brick" cast into the face of the panels.
Easi-Set Industries.
Reader Service No. 350
Exterior coating
Decorative wall coating product line is a waterproof, elastomeric product ideal for use on surfaces such as concrete, masonry, and stucco. Neoflex combines the decorative qualities of acrylic paints with the elasticity and flexibility of high-performance elastomers, resulting in a system that can accommodate thermal expansion and contraction, even at very low temperatures.
Neogard.
Reader Service No. 352
Above-average glass
Architectural firm Ross & Baruzzini, Webster Groves, Mo., wanted a low-e glass for its new offices, but discovered that "standard" low-e glass did not offer the energy efficiency it desired. Instead, the firm chose Solar E Low-E Glass, which provided the desired shading coefficient, while also controlling heat. The project utilized approximately 1,800 sq. ft. of the glass.
Pilkington.
Reader Service No. 353
Walls of light
Cladding system enables designers to create walls of pure, colored light that can be programmed to emit any color in the spectrum, changing slowly or quickly from one color to the next. ChromaTransFusion produces walls of light that have a uniform coloration from floor to ceiling, without hot spots or shadows. The system is made by bonding a proprietary interlayer material between two layers of safety glass. The frosted interlayer has properties that are able to evenly distribute a light source cast upon the glass edges, so that the entire surface area glows. Available in panels up to 5 ft. by 12 ft., which can be ganged together to form larger expanses.
Cesar Color.
Reader Service No. 351
Think tank Cladding
The four-story, $15 million Institute for International Economics headquarters in Washington, D.C., features 13,000 sq. ft. of glass curtain wall that was installed as 230 separate units. The glass was shipped to the site in staggered deliveries so the Building Team could rapidly install each section onsite in the confined space.
Harmon Inc.
Reader Service No. 354
Hold up
The Chicago Police Headquarters, designed by Lohan Associates, Chicago, has a ICW-250 curtain wall system with patented weep valves and horizontal splits to accommodate large loads. PVC isolators provide thermal insulation.
Vistawall Group.
Reader Service No. 356
Campus energized
In order to meet campus electrical demands, the UC-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, constructed a new 58,000-sq.-ft. energy plant to utilize co-generation. The $6.7 million structure has translucent wall panels, which save on energy by using up to 75% natural light during the day.
Kalwall.
Reader Service No. 355
