Bendheim Channel Glass Rainscreen Revamps Modernist Chicago Building

Our Lamberts^® channel glass completely transforms and rebrands an existing commercial storefront in downtown Chicago to create a welcoming new Capital One Café. From its modern visual “rhythm” to a careful balance of privacy and transparency, the special three-dimensional glass delivers a contemporary guest experience, while respecting the architectural heritage of the building.

IA Interior Architects was tasked with creating Capital One’s Chicago Loop café into “an ideal place for anyone to touch down and work, seek personalized financial advice, or grab a cup of coffee,” according to the architects’ website. The architects chose to over-clad two stories of existing curtain wall with approximately 2,500 sq. ft. of our channel glass rainscreen to preserve as much of the original building as possible, while delivering a distinctive branding opportunity for the client.

Capital One Cafe, Chicago, IL by Interior Architects. Photo by Tashio Martinez.

The architects’ channel glass choice was inspired by several design considerations:

• Desire to create a sensitive, modernist-style intervention to the existing building;
• Use of our ultra-colorless low-iron channel glass for its “soft” translucent-white appearance – to evoke Capital One’s signature white-glazed brick facade aesthetic, featured throughout its other locations;
• Provide the highest possible level of visibility and light transmittance, while seamlessly weaving in areas of visual privacy.

Capital One Cafe, Chicago, IL by Interior Architects. Photo by Tashio Martinez.

The architects’ chosen mix of Clarissimo^™ glass channels as vision lites and Piccolo^™ fluted texture channels as privacy lites in the continuous SF-60S rainscreen system provides the perfect balance between transparency and translucency. The channel glass facade disperses daylight and minimizes glare, eliminating the need for additional shading devices. It also beautifully diffuses the LED back-lighting at night.

To learn more about our Lamberts^® channel glass, please visit https://bendheim.com/glass_type/channel-glass.