Bendheim’s Ventilated Glass Facade System Wins Two Architizer A+ Product Awards

International Architectural Awards Celebrate Innovative System’s Use in Parking Structures

Our Ventilated Glass Facade for Parking Structures has won Architizer’s Popular Choice award in the Building Systems – Sustainable Design Products category, as well as the Jury award in the Facades – Glass & Glazing category. The two recognitions highlight the system’s ability to enhance parking facade design and the user experience by creating healthier, more comfortable, elegant, and sustainable parking facilities.

The Architizer A+Awards is the largest awards program for architecture and building products, with a global audience of over 400 million. Winners are selected based on excellence in aesthetics, performance, and impact. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast in this year’s awards. Jury winners were selected by a cadre of industry luminaries, including Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects, Bjarke Ingels of BIG, David Rockwell of Rockwell Group, and Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig Architects.

Our glass parking facade impressed audiences and jurors with its jewel-like aesthetic and ability to form a high-performance shield against the elements. The open, translucent cladding stops over 90% of wind-driven moisture and delivers abundant natural ventilation and daylight. It improves the air quality inside structures while eliminating the need for energy-draining mechanical systems.

The patent-pending ventilated glass facade attaches directly to the building’s walls and slabs, contributing additional efficiencies – no need for a costly, resource-heavy steel sub-structure. The resulting aesthetic is light and crystalline.

The system consists of safety (tempered and/or laminated) architectural glass installed in metal compression fittings. Specialized steel plates, custom-engineered by Bendheim for each project, achieve the desired amount of natural ventilation. Glass drilling or notching is not required, speeding installation. The translucent glass cladding diffuses ample daylight, while obscuring outside-in views.

All Bendheim facade components are fully customizable. Architects can specify custom fritted, digitally printed, decorative laminated, etched, bird-friendly, or other specialty glass types to impart a unique identity to the parking structure and provide the right balance between openness and privacy. Maximum glass panel size can reach up to 5 ft. by 13 ft., depending on the facade design, glass type, and wind loads. Metal components are engineered to the requirements of each project and are available in hundreds of powder-coated colors, including metallics.

727 West Madison / 1 South Halsted Parking Structure, Chicago, IL by FitzGerald Associates. Photo by Tashio Martinez.

The award-winning system was originally created in collaboration with FitzGerald Associates architects and Reflection Window + Wall installers for the 727 West Madison / 1 South Halsted parking facility in Chicago, IL. On this project, the system savings totaled over $1 million.

Our Ventilated Glass Facade for Parking Structures has also won a Best Building Envelope Product award from Architectural Record magazine, and was profiled in The Construction Specifier and Contract magazines.