University of Houston | Blaffer Art Museum

A new entrance featuring our channel glass transforms University of Houston’s Blaffer Art Museum. Our technical design team worked closely with the architects to achieve the slanted glass facade on budget. A cost-effective alternative to custom angle-cuts, the glass channels were stepped within the frame. The architects selected Bendheim’s regular 504 Rough Cast and Clarissimo channel glass textures. A blue-gray Azur coating enhances the solar heat gain coefficient of the facade and lends it a cool blue appearance during the day. The coating helps the building remain cool in the hot local climate. Bendheim’s SF-60 thermally broken framing system provides additional thermal performance.

WORKac’s design enhances the building’s entrance, improves the flow of pedestrian traffic into the museum, and creates a more welcoming entrance to the public. The renovation marked “the most significant facility improvement in the museum’s history, providing both a much-needed physical upgrade and an identity-defining statement,” according to Blaffer Art Museum’s Director and Chief Curator Claudia Schmuckli.