Façade glazing that diffuses light, such as textured and translucent channel glass, is traditionally sought for functional attributes, from providing ample-yet-glare-free natural light to reducing solar heat gain, both of which contribute to desirable energy savings for the client or occupants. But aesthetic appeal is yet another good reason to use it. Take one look at Steven Holl’s extension at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (above), for instance, and your eyes will be drawn like moths to the flame by the magical ambiance it exudes when lit up at night.
Here’s a peek at five products used in other recent, attractive projects to achieve similar daylighting goals — as well as that beautiful glow.
Kalwall systems were used for this house in Long Island, N.Y. Photo by Jeff Heatley.
Kalwall for Sagaponack Modern Green Barn
For a passive-solar house on the east end of Long Island, N.Y., Stott Architecture incorporated Wall Systems by Kalwall within the gables as well as the manufacturer’s Skyroofs for custom skylights along portions of the roof ridges.
Kalwall is a translucent structural sandwich panel formed by permanently bonding fiberglass-reinforced polymer to an aluminum structural grid core. The resulting product filters in glare-free daylight and reduces solar-heat transmission. It can also be custom-engineered to meet hurricane and Class-A fire ratings, blast-resistance requirements, as well as more stringent insulation needs (via the addition of translucent insulation such as Lumira aerogel). See how Kalwall was used as an education solution in the Matea Valley High School.
The Greenpoint EMS Station’s translucent façade and skylights are composed of Panelite’s Clearshade insulating glass. Photo by Razummedia.
Panelite for Greenpoint EMS Station
This FDNY Emergency Medical Service station in Brooklyn, N.Y., is raised on one side to provide enough clearance for the emergency vehicles. Where the building height shifts, skylights fitted with Panelite’s Clearshade High-Performance Honeycomb Insulating Glass create an atrium-like space for the station entrance and bring light into the core. The same glass product forms the translucent façade, softly filtering light inward during the day — and allowing the building to become a neighborhood beacon when the sun goes down.
A closer look at a varied-size cellular insert in Panelite Clearshade (left). The core of the EMS station receives ample light thanks to Clearshade-filled skylights (right). Photo (right) by Razummedia.
Panelite Clearshade consists of two or three laminated glass lites sandwiching a cellular insert with cell diameters ranging from 3.8 millimeters to 10 millimeters; varied diameter mixes are also offered. The insert can be specified as clear, white, black, orange, red, or blue to create different effects. Meanwhile, the glass comes in clear or colors, with coatings, etching, or frit patterns. Herzog and de Meuron has also used this product for skylights in the Parrish Art Museum.
Daegan Day Design utilized Bendheim’s channel glass system for a house in Marin County, Calif.
Bendheim for C-Glass House
Channeling Philip Johnson and Mies, among other great architects who’ve built glass houses, Daegan Day Design employed clean minimal lines and cantilevers for a glass house in Marin County, Calif. A mixture of clear glazing and Lamberts LINIT channel glass provides views while still affording privacy and light diffusion.
Distributed by Bendheim, LINIT channel glass systems can be used to create straight or curved walls of up to 23 feet high and unlimited lengths. Glass options include a variety of finishes, textures, and coatings, from sandblasted and enamel-colored to Low-e. Other notable projects that have used Bendheim’s channel glass systems are the aforementioned Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art extension by Steven Holl (top) and Gensler and WORKac’s Blaffer Art Museum renovation.
Marble Fairbanks specified Pilkington Profilit channel glazing for this library branch in Queens, N.Y. Photo by Arch Photo.
Technical Glass Products for Glen Oaks Branch Library
Marble Fairbanks fashioned this library branch in Queens, N.Y., into a light-box of sorts, ensuring that even the below-grade level wouldn’t feel subterranean. The firm achieved this effect with strip skylights, clear and fritted glass, and channel glazing, the latter of which is Pilkington Profilit supplied by TGP.
The Pilkington Profilit system consists of cast-glass channels and an extruded metal frame. It can be installed vertically or horizontally and can accommodate Lumira aerogel for added insulation. See how HOK used the channel-glass system in a vastly different way, creating a ventilated screen for the Greenway Self-Park structure.
Rosetta’s illuminated corner employs a daylighting wall system from Major Industries.
Major Industries for Rosetta
At this 47,000-square-foot office project in San Luis Obispo, Calif., Garcia Architecture + Design juxtaposed a weighty, rust-colored façade wall with a much lighter corner volume composed of wall panels from Major Industries.
Specializing in daylighting solutions, Major Industries produces three levels of translucent wall and skylight/canopy systems utilizing polycarbonate or glass materials. Depending on which is specified, options range from thermally enhanced panels and insulated face sheets to high-performing gaskets.
