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Bendheim’s Optichroic® Glass & Unitized Channel Glass Wall Systems Win Product Innovation Awards

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Bendheim is the proud recipient of two of the inaugural Product Innovation Awards (PIAs) by Architectural Products Magazine. PIAs recognize innovation in products, materials, and systems that lead commercial and institutional design to new heights. Bendheim’s Optichroic® Laminated Dichroic Glass was honored in the “Surfaces: Multi-Surface” category, while Bendheim’s Channel Glass Wall Systems earned an award in the “Products in Application” category.

Winners of Architectural Products’ PIAs are outstanding products and applications within the built environment. A panel of 44 architects, designers, and specifiers selected the winning entries from approximately 300 submissions for their superior qualities, functionality, and performance.

“Employing contemporary technological innovation to advance design is the hallmark of architectural progression,” commented one of the judges evaluating products in the Surface category. “The Optichroic Laminated Dichroic Glass achieves that goal.”

Bendheim’s Optichroic® Laminated Glass is the first dichroic glass of its type for architectural applications, available in maximum sheet sizes of 54 by 120 inches. Due to its unique ability to capture and radiate the full color spectrum of light, the glass has been featured in a variety of applications, including signage at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the Times Square Building in New York City, where Optichroic helped modernize elevator cabs with dazzling contemporary wall cladding.

Bendheim Wall Systems won the award for its role as the main exterior design element in The Schermerhorn House, an affordable housing project in Brooklyn, NY. Ennead Architects utilized Bendheim’s Lamberts® channel glass in a highly creative manner for this budget-sensitive project. Our innovative H60 Unitized Frame System permitted the 57 channel glass units to be pre-assembled off-site and hoisted into place allowing the building to be enclosed more quickly than conventional site-built assemblies. The horizontal orientation of the channels maximizes the use of annealed glass and minimizes the amount of more costly tempered glass. Commingling obscuring textured glass channels with clear vision channels eliminated the need for integrating separate window units. The 57 double-glazed, unitized H60 assemblies incorporate over 7,000 square feet of our channel glass, creating the appearance of glass columns rising up the facade. It is the largest horizontal channel glass application in the United States.

Art Glass Brings Tranquility to Norton Cancer Institute

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A new landmark graces downtown Louisville, Ky.  – Norton Healthcare’s $27.7 million cancer treatment and research center by Karlsberger and Architection. Within this building, a two-story tall vibrant art glass wall creates a powerful yet tranquil gateway to the center.
Designed by Kenneth von Roenn Jr., and fabricated by his studio, Architectural Glass Art Inc., the 30’-by-30’art glass window is a key design element, projecting peace and tranquility into a space where patients and their families seek strength and healing.
The expansive wall of glass bathes the Institute’s Nixon Meditation Room in soft blues and greens, balanced with vivid magentas and oranges, all products of the sensitively chosen Lamberts mouth-blown range of glasses. Inspired by his brother’s long and successful fight with cancer, von Roenn chose colors and imagery to inspire positive, reflective thoughts, aiding the healing mission of the center.
“All human beings respond instinctively to color, and its effects are very important in the process of treatment and healing,” said von Roenn who has created numerous works of art for healthcare facilities. “When natural light is transmitted through glass, it elevates the effects of color. For this reason, colored glass windows are extremely effective elements in the design of healthcare environments.”
The wall of art glass is composed of 35 individual panels, incorporating Lamberts art glasses silicone laminated to clear float glass. The modern lamination technique enabled the studio to create this rich, painterly monumental installation without the black lines associated with traditional leaded glass windows. The Lamberts glass pieces are carefully cut and bonded to the base glass, forming an elaborate mosaic of light and color. Mouth-blown in Germany and imported exclusively by Bendheim in North America, Lamberts glass features subtle surface striations and small air bubbles, unmistakable characteristics of its centuries-old production method. Bendheim offers more than 500 glass colors, with over 5,000 additional colors and textures available through the Lamberts factory in Germany.
“Lamberts art glass transmits light beautifully because of its ancient glass making technique,” commented von Roenn. “The clarity of the color combined with the structure of the glass creates an unsurpassable visual effect.”
The composition of the piece relates to nature and growth; a large tree silhouette references the Norton Healthcare logo and represents the strength necessary to battle cancer. More than 1,000 inlaid, multi-faceted, hand-cut glass jewels scatter light onto the floor and walls, representing seeds of hope. The art glass composition is organized in a rectangular grid mimicking the design of the Institute. Another grid, composed of dichroic glass, is laminated to the exterior plane of the window, reflecting back portions of the design.

Glass Brings Art & Science Together at Houston Research Facility

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The installation “Leonardo Dialogo” at the Center for Advanced Biomedical Imaging Research in Houston, Tex., brings a long-lost partnership between art and science back to life. A one-of-a-kind, Lamberts art glass ceiling is an integral component of the two-part project. The ceiling of mouth-blown art glass represents healing, the journey to discovery, and the patient’s passage to balance, harmony, and wellbeing.
Artist Jo Ann Fleischhauer spent eight months gathering visual content to create her tribute to the achievements of science and discovery. During this intense study, the polyhedral “Buckyball” molecule emerged as a powerful symbol of the research and hope for decisive progress against the unsolved medical tragedies of today.
The entry doors, leading into the “Leonardo Dialogo” installation, are veneered with warm, honey-brown yew wood. The entryway corridor features a granite floor interlaced with complex polyhedral forms, creating a metaphor for the limitless questions and possibilities provided by nano-medical research. An expansive mirrored ceiling inspires wonder. The walls are stenciled with the Fibonacci sequence and quotes emphasizing the dialogue between art and science in the space.
To transition the installation into the administrative area, Fleischhauer carries the corridor’s black-and-white palette into the floating white 12’ by 24’ art glass ceiling created from sheets of Lamberts glass laminated to three layers of low-iron float glass for safety and strength. Mouth-blown in Germany and imported exclusively by Bendheim in North America, Lamberts glass features pronounced yet subtle surface striations and small air bubbles,  unmistakable characteristics of the centuries-old glass production method.
“I looked at several different companies but when I saw Lamberts glass, I loved the uniqueness of each sheet, the seed bubbles, handmade quality and cloud-like patterns,” says Fleischhauer.
The concept of the glass ceiling took Fleischhauer to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, where she collaborated with two artists, mathematicians and hot-glass experts – Martin Demaine, an artist-in-residence and visiting scientist in computer science, and Erik Demaine, associate professor in computer science.
The ceiling features 47 panels; every 22” by 30”, 55-pound glass panel is suspended by a metal rod connected to each of its four corners. The ceiling integrates waterjet-cut polyhedral shapes and is illuminated by LED lights casting elaborate shadows on the floor and walls. The resulting labyrinthine pattern symbolizes the researcher’s journey to discover and restore balance and harmony to the human body.

Custom Kitchen Offers Elegance & Function for Work & Play

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Bendheim’s Color Coated Glass Energizes Classic Design

Bendheim’s Color Coated Glass backsplash is a key design element in the total kitchen renovation undertaken by the owners of a 1909 Colonial in Stamford, Conn. Gourmets and wine connoisseurs, the couple loves to cook and entertain. The new space had to be elegant and functional in order to meet the demands of their daily lifestyle.
A chef’s kitchen designed for fun and efficiency now takes the place of what had been a small galley-style kitchen. Walking into the expanded redesigned space, one’s gaze is drawn to the 10’ by 6’ green glass backsplash above the commercial size stove. The Color Coated Glass, custom made by Bendheim, features a tree-bark texture, enhancing the play between the pearlescent green color and light. As one walks past the backsplash, its green hue gently shifts to silver, contributing a sense of movement and luminosity to the space. The backsplash is a focal point of the kitchen, adding a splash of rich, shimmering color to its classic, straightforward design.
Bendheim offers its Color Coated Glass in a vast range of glass textures and an unlimited spectrum of colors. The custom options are virtually unlimited. Hygienic and attractive, Bendheim Color Coated Glass is ideal for backsplashes, countertops and tabletops. The tempered glass backsplash in the Stamford residence is four times stronger than regular annealed glass and is highly resistant to the heat generated by the kitchen range.
Beneath the shimmering glass background, sits customized Blue Star™ Pro-Style Range with six open burners and two ovens. Everything is well within reach for optimal productivity as meals are prepped on the 11-foot-long green granite top island. The far side of the island arches in a smooth curve to create a bar-style seating area for casual family meals or large informal dinner parties. A flat screen TV on the wall ensures that the baseball fan will never miss a game.
Ingredients, utensils and other culinary necessities are stored in abundant built-in cabinets, leaving the counters clutter-free. The pristine white color of the cabinets is in stark contrast to the walnut floors and espresso stained island base, stove hood and bar cabinetry. Recessed light fixtures, under-cabinet lighting and three pendant lamps, strategically positioned above the island, bathe the space in multiple layers of light.
This custom-designed epicurean heaven would not have been complete without a wet bar, equipped with a wine cooler, small refrigerator, ice-maker and an extra dishwasher. Two comfortable chairs set in front of a set of French doors promise the couple many peaceful evenings.
Homeowners interested in ordering Bendheim’s Color Coated Glass for backsplashes, kitchen and bathroom countertops and tabletops, can do so through their designers, contractors and professional installers.

Bendheim Wall Systems’ Schermerhorn House Wins AIA’s Housing Award

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The Schermerhorn House Raises the Bar for Affordable Housing Design

The Schermerhorn House, an affordable housing residence in Brooklyn, NY, is a recipient of the American Institute of Architects’ 2011 Housing Award in the Special Housing category. The Award recognizes the best in housing design and promotes the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit, and a valuable national resource. Constructed with Bendheim Wall Systems’ Lamberts channel glass, the project elevates design standards for affordable housing and creates a community building that is comfortable as well as visually stimulating for residents and visitors alike.

Designed by Ennead Architects, the building’s primary northern façade is comprised of five channel glass tower elements comprised of 57 double-glazed unitized assemblies. The innovative curtain wall incorporates over 7,000 square feet of Lamberts channel glass and is the largest horizontal channel glass application in the United States, as well as the first to require a vertical center mullion.
Comprised of up to 60 percent recycled content, Lamberts channel glass answers the project’s strict demands for sustainable materials. The translucent Rough Cast™ textured glass channels obscure views and allow daylight into the building. The occasional transparent Clarissimo™ channels serve as vision lites. The building features both tempered and annealed channel glass.
“While the Schermerhorn House joins Bendheim Wall Systems’ growing list of AIA award-winning projects, it scores the first Housing Award for the company,” says Michael Tryon, General Manager of Bendheim Wall Systems, Inc. “The architects utilized channel glass in a highly creative manner for this budget-sensitive project. The horizontal orientation maximized the use of annealed glass and minimized the amount of more costly tempered glass. Commingling obscuring textured glass with clear vision glass eliminated the need for integrating separate window units, and unitizing the wall sections allowed the building to be enclosed more quickly than conventional site-built assemblies, a ‘home-run’ to the project schedule.”
The channel glass tower-like elements rise from a transparent glass base cantilevered over subway tunnels running directly below the site. The southern façade overlooks a landscaped roof terrace on the second level, providing a transition to the surrounding single family homes in the neighborhood. The House, developed by Common Ground Community and The Actors’ Fund, offers 216 units for single adults transitioning out of homelessness, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and low-income residents.
Bendheim Wall Systems’ translucent, U-shaped Lamberts channel glass creates sweeping walls of glass, including curves and corners, without the need for intermediate framing members. Reaching heights of 23 feet, it is an ideal daylighting material and contains as much as 60 percent recycled glass, including up to 40 percent post-consumer content.

Bendheim Wall Systems’ Channel Glass Project Wins World Architecture News Effectiveness Award

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The Union County Juvenile Detention Center in Linden, N.J., featuring our channel glass, is a winner of the first World Architecture News (WAN) Effectiveness Awards. The first major international competition of its kind, the WAN Awards aims to find the best examples of architectural design, which profoundly impact society.

Described as “optimism that belies the building type,” the 72,000 sq. ft. Center transcends correctional facility stereotypes. Designed by Ricci Greene Associates, the open and spacious building promotes a sense of connection to the outside and provides a safe and humane environment for residents.

Only one room deep at any given point, the building wraps around a one acre outdoor courtyard, optimizing daylight, space, and connectivity. At the same time, it serves as the Center’s secure perimeter. High-impact security glazing replaces steel bars or perimeter fencing and offers a more normative environment for youths, while providing daylight and views.

Daylight is a paramount element of the Center’s design and floods in from both the exterior and corridor.  Bendheim provided our SGCC certified 504 Rough Cast™ textured channel glass with a thermal insulation interlayer, installed in our proprietary frame system, for the project. Interior housing units incorporate a raked roof, creating a vertical window-wall of channel glass almost 16 feet above the ground. Installed by Clifton Architectural Glass and Mirror, Clifton, N.J., our Lamberts® channel glass is free of mullions and allows abundant year-round daylight, while shielding interiors from the hot summer sun.

The translucent, U-shaped channel glass can create sweeping walls of glass, including curves and corners, without the need for intermediate framing members. Reaching heights of 23 feet, it is an ideal daylighting material and contains as much as 60 percent recycled glass, including up to 40 percent post-consumer content.

Daylight, colors, textures, and views to the outside have been shown to have a positive impact on the mood and behavior of both residents and employees of the Center. Through integration of architectural design, counseling, education, and recreational programs, the Center is not merely a correctional facility but a vital part of the justice system. It is designed to support interaction between youths, mentors, and community volunteers, as well as facilitate residents’ successful transition back into the community.

“The Union County Juvenile Detention Center is a remarkable example of architectural design having an impact on society in a direct and positive manner,” said Michael Tryon, General Manager of Bendheim Wall Systems, Inc. “The project makes an excellent case for the positive physiological effects of daylighting and views, made possible through our channel glass wall system.”