When Grant Thornton, LLP, moved its U.S. headquarters to the former Chicago Title & Trust Center in 2015, “its lease was saddled with a very dark, almost unusable area on their most important floor,” said Ken Novak, NCIDQ, Associate, Stantec Architecture.
The second floor of the now-named Grant Thornton Tower in Chicago’s Loop, would be the “town square” for the world’s sixth largest accounting firm. The space, which the firm hoped to use as a gathering place for employees and clients, had no access to daylight. It was essentially a long, dark corridor. Stantec’s design vision was to open up a gypsum covered, fire-resistive wall to allow copious light into the space, as well as provide visibility to the lobby below and out to the Thompson Center and City Hall across the street.
Introducing daylight, though, was “problematic due to the codes regarding separation of the lobby from the tenant space,” explained Novak. The architects had “given up on the idea of daylight flooding the space,” until they found their solution with Fireframes® Curtainwall Series frames and Pilkington Pyrostop® fire-resistive-rated glass from Technical Glass Products (TGP). “The system provided the fire rating needed, with an all-glass look,” said Sean McEneaney, President, Glass Concepts, LLC, the glazier for the project, who has used the TGP solution in several Chicago-area projects.
The project team replaced an 84-foot (25.6 m) long drywall partition with approximately 821 square feet (76.3 m2) of two-hour fire-resistive curtain wall frames and glass. By changing an opaque wall into a clear one, the result is a welcoming, light-filled space that is “very popular and one of the showstoppers in the building,” notes Novak. “The TGP system allows design ideas such as ours to become reality.”
In addition to the fire-rated system’s look and performance, Novak explained that working with TGP helped streamline the project in several ways. First, because the system has been used in other Chicago projects, “that goes a long way to getting city hall to sign off.” Second, one of the challenges with converting the drywall partition to glazing was the need to accomplish the work 20 feet (6 m) above an active office building lobby. “By working with Leopardo (general contractor), Glass Concepts and TGP, we came up with an innovative solution to install the system backwards, so all of the work could be done on the second floor instead of working in lifts for months and months on overtime at great expense.”
Fireframes Curtainwall Series frames are available with fire ratings up to 120 minutes, and feature narrow profiles to reduce sightlines. The UL classified and labeled steel frames enable large expanses of glass in interior and exterior applications. Also available with up to 120 minute fire ratings, Pilkington Pyrostop glazing is impact safety rated (CPSC 16CFR1201 Category I and/or Category II) and blocks the transfer of radiant and conductive heat.
For more information on Fireframes Curtainwall Series and Pilkington Pyrostop, along with TGP’s other fire-rated glass and framing, visit www.fireglass.com.
Project: Grant Thornton Tower
Location: Chicago, IL
Architect: Stantec Architecture
Glazier: Glass Concepts, LLC
Product: Fireframes® Curtainwall Series frames and Pilkington Pyrostop® fire-resistive-rated glass
Photography: Chris Barrett
Technical Glass Products
800.426.0279
800.451.9857 – fax
Related Stories
Sponsored | | Sep 4, 2014
Learning by design: Steel curtain wall system blends two school campuses
In this the new facility, middle school and high school classroom wings flank either side of the auditorium and media center. A sleek, glass-and-steel curtain wall joins them together, creating an efficient, shared space. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Aug 25, 2014
Glazing plays key role in reinventing stairway design
Within the architectural community, a movement called "active design" seeks to convert barren and unappealing stairwells originally conceived as emergency contingencies into well-designed architectural focal points. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Aug 16, 2014
Fire-rated framing system makes the grade at Johnson & Wales University Center
The precision engineering of TGP’s Fireframes Aluminum Series creates narrow profiles and crisp sightlines at Johnson & Wales University Center for Physician Assistant Studies
Sponsored | | Aug 8, 2014
Safe and secure: Fire and security glazing solution for Plaquemines Parish Detention Center
When the designers at L. R. Kimball looked for an all-in-one clear, wire-free glazing solution that protects against fire, bullets and forced entry for the new Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, SAFTI FIRST supplied a complete single-source tested and listed assembly that was easy to install and maintenance-free.
Sponsored | | Jul 7, 2014
Channel glass illuminates science at the University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco’s new John Lo Schiavo Center for Science and Innovation brings science to the forefront of academic life. Its glossy, three-story exterior invites students into the facility, and then flows sleekly down into the hillside where below-grade laboratories and classrooms make efficient use of space on the landlocked campus.
| May 27, 2014
Fire Rated Glass contributes to open lab environment at JSNN
Openness and transparency were high priorities in the design of the Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering within the Gateway University Research Park in Greensboro, N.C. Because the facility’s nanobioelectronics clean room houses potentially explosive materials, it needed to be able to contain flames, heat, and smoke in the event of a fire. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | May 3, 2014
Fire-rated glass floor system captures light in science and engineering infill
In implementing Northwestern University’s Engineering Life Sciences infill design, Flad Architects faced the challenge of ensuring adequate, balanced light given the adjacent, existing building wings. To allow for light penetration from the fifth floor to the ground floor, the design team desired a large, central atrium. One potential setback with drawing light through the atrium was meeting fire and life safety codes.
| Apr 25, 2014
Recent NFPA 80 updates clarify fire rated applications
Code confusion has led to misapplications of fire rated glass and framing, which can have dangerous and/or expensive results. Two recent NFPA 80 revisions help clarify the confusion. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Apr 8, 2014
Fire resistive curtain wall helps The Kensington meet property line requirements
The majority of fire rated glazing applications occur inside a building to allow occupants to exit the building safely or provide an area of refuge during a fire. But what happens when the threat of fire comes from the outside? This was the case for The Kensington, a mixed-use residential building in Boston.
Sponsored | | Jan 30, 2014
Transparent, fire rated stairwell enhances design of renovated Cincinnati Art Museum
When the Cincinnati Art Museum embarked on an $11 million renovation, the architects wanted the entrance and main stair to be as inviting as possible. Transparent, fire rated glazing from SAFTI FIRST was a key component of the design solution.
