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Pantone’s 2021 Colors of the Year Captured in Glass

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Pantone’s 2021 Colors of the Year, Illuminating and Ultimate Gray, are captured in durable,
luminous architectural glass manufactured by Bendheim

Each year, the Pantone Color Institute selects the color that will best reflect the year ahead. This year marks only the second time two colors have been selected.

“It’s a combination that speaks to the resilience, the optimism and hope and positivity that we need, as we reset, renew and reimagine and reinvent,” Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a video call along with Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman.

City Market at O Street | Yellow Glass Wall

Pantone’s 2021 Color of the Year, Illuminating, in the City Market at O Street project in Washington, D.C. Photo by Dorian Shy; courtesy of Framework Photographic.

Our easy-to-clean and sanitize architectural glass in the Illuminating color selected by Pantone is already in use. In Washington D.C., City Market at O Street features our polished, low-iron laminated safety glass. The 1 million square-foot urban infill project in downtown Washington includes more than 87,000 square feet of retail space, nearly 600 residential units and 500 parking spaces.

Illuminating is described as “a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power,’’ Pantone said on its website. Ultimate Gray is “emblematic of solid and dependable elements which are everlasting and provide a firm foundation.”

The Corcoran Group | White Fade® Glass Desk

Pantone’s 2021 Color of the Year, Ultimate Gray, in back-painted architectural glass manufactured by Bendheim at The Corcoran Group in New York, NY. Photo by Sandra McDonald.

For more than 20 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in industries such as fashion, home furnishings, industrial design, product packaging, and graphic design. In 2016, Pantone selected Rose Quartz and Serenity as the Colors of the Year. Classic Blue was selected as the 2020 Color of the Year.

Bendheim has responded to the color trends emerging from Pantone and the company’s own consultative design work with leading architecture and design professionals, continuously expanding its colored glass catalogue. Our in-house back-painting and lamination capabilities facilitate quick turn-around on new and custom design products.

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

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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.

Glass Parking Facade

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.

The Momentary Becomes First Building to Use Bendheim’s Glass Rainscreen as Multi-Story Projection Screen

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Eighty-Foot-Tall Projectable Glass Facade Brings Contemporary Art to the Outdoors

The Momentary, located in Bentonville, AR, is the world’s first building to use our innovative glass rainscreen system as a 6,000 sq. ft. projection surface. The custom-imprinted glass screen features our new LumiFrit™ surface #1 fritted glass, which is optimal for reflecting light and can be customized in a virtually unlimited range of decorative patterns.

The Momentary, a former Kraft Foods cheese factory, is a new adaptive-reuse project by Wheeler Kearns Architects of Chicago, IL. The complex is a contemporary satellite to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR. Among its chief new architectural features is an 80-foot tall projectable glass rainscreen by Bendheim, used as a scrim around a new concrete stair and elevator tower.

Our LumiFrit glass cladding lends the tower a brilliant white, ephemeral aesthetic during the day. At night, the white frit pattern, uniquely applied to the outermost surface of the glass, bounces front-projected light to create a sharp image.

The Momentary white frit glass rainscreen

The Momentary by Wheeler Kearns Architects. Photo by Tom Harris Architectural Photography.

The glass rainscreen was tested as a projection surface – and stage – by BANDALOOP, the pioneer in vertical modern dance. The group choreographed and staged a performance on top of the glass, designed to “activate the public space.” A facade that doubles as a digital art canvas is remarkably relevant today, as outdoor venues are becoming a necessity by promoting culture in a safer and healthier environment.

“This cutting-edge installation heralds a more positive and creative future,” said Robert Jayson, President of Bendheim. “We are proud to have been selected for the project, and are pleased to see Bendheim glass used in such an unusual and captivating way.”

dance on top of Bendheim glass rainscreen

The Momentary by Wheeler Kearns Architects. Vertical performance by BANDALOOP on top of the Bendheim glass rainscreen. Photo courtesy BANDALOOP.

Our rainscreen incorporates four unique fritted glass designs, ranging from 50% to 80% opaque. They were designed by Osage graphic artist Addie Roanhorse and were inspired by traditional Osage Native American design motifs.

On the back of the glass, our SatinTech® etched finish acts as a dispersion filter for LED back-lighting. It turns the glass facade into a beacon of light that can be used creatively to highlight special events. A recent blood drive, spearheaded by the Momentary and Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, “painted” the glass tower in a bright red light.

The architects chose our rainscreen system for its distinctive glass makeup and ease of use. The system fastens directly to the concrete to eliminate the need for a costly steel substructure and the shadow lines associated with it. Patented clip attachments allow each glass panel to be installed and replaced independently of its neighbors, speeding installation and facilitating maintenance. “This unique quality pushed the owner and us in that direction,” said Calli Verkamp, Project Architect at Wheeler Kearns Architects. The glass was installed by Advantage Glass of Tulsa, OK.

For more information on our glass rainscreen systems, please visit https://bendheim.com/system/flat-glass-rainscreen-systems/.

Introducing Z-KISS™: Engineered Concealed-Attachment Glass Cladding System

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New Interior Cladding System Designed and Produced in USA

Bendheim’s new patent-pending Z-KISS system features fewer components and stronger connections, creating a robust glass cladding with an elegant frameless aesthetic. The streamlined, “simpler” engineered solution is also easier and quicker to install.

The system consists of our proprietary “KISS” mechanical hanging hardware, factory-attached to any of our fully customizable opaque decorative glass varieties.

“Z-KISS was conceived as an enhanced, fully engineered alternative to traditional Z-clip fastening systems,” stated Said Elieh, Bendheim VP of Systems & Innovation. “It requires fewer horizontal hanging brackets and provides a reliable mechanical support for the dead load of the glass.”

Among the key Z-KISS innovations is its low profile – it stands only 5/16” from the wall. The system can be specified with an optional integrated kick plate, available in a wide range of custom colors to coordinate with the glass or other interior finishes. Z-KISS can handle large cladding panels in either direction, and is ideal for lobbies and expansive feature walls.

Concealed glass attachment

Concealed glass attachment

The range of Z-KISS aesthetic options is virtually unlimited, including hundreds of in-stock back-painted and mirrored glass varieties, as well as laminated, patterned, and digitally printed custom creations. The glass is provided in safety tempered or laminated form. Maximum panel size depends on the specified design, typically up to 60” x 120”. Glass thicknesses range from 1/4” to 1/2”.

The system’s “out-of-box” installation saves time and labor costs. The glass and galvanized steel hardware are delivered pre-fabricated and ready to hang. Completing the installation requires just hand tools and the proper wall-mounting screws to secure the aluminum brackets to the wall. The integrated Z-KISS system is warranted for 10 years.

Naturally-Hygienic Glass is a Safe Choice in Designing World for a Better Tomorrow

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The Non-Porous Surface of Glass Gives Bacteria and Germs No Place to Hide

 

NYU Langone Medical Center | White Fade Glass

Bendheim’s Ultra-White Fade® glass at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY by Perkins+Will. Photo courtesy of Halkin | Mason Photography. The naturally-hygienic building material is perfect for healthcare applications.

The COVID-19 global pandemic is causing many people to consider options for personal safety, and one solution is how to build spaces that are healthy for occupants. Glass, a naturally hygienic surfacing material, is an essential choice to consider when designing spaces for a safer tomorrow.

Bendheim is one of the world’s foremost sources of specialty architectural glass. Its wide range of glass types give bacteria and germs no place to hide as they enhance building environments. Surfaces can easily be cleaned and disinfected, dramatically reducing the risk of exposure to viruses.

The hygienic properties of glass make it a perfect surfacing material for high-traffic spaces found in healthcare, hospitality, commercial offices, lobbies, schools and universities, and elevator interiors. From partition walls to privacy screens, wall cladding to writing surfaces, glass can be used in a wide range of applications to provide a healthy environment and good design.

Bendheim offers more than 2,000 in-stock glass varieties and unlimited custom design solutions. Glass can be used to enhance occupant privacy, and textured patterns, as well as decorative interlayers, can be used to provide visual privacy and light transmission into and between spaces. Bendheim products have been used in schools, supermarkets, office buildings, residential construction projects and many more applications.

Bendheim Announces First Project in the Nation to Feature Its Vertically-and-Horizontally Shingled Glass Rainscreen System

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Luminous Glass Cladding Dresses Massive Concrete Walls, Enhances New Medical Center Facade

 

Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, VA by Wilmot Sanz Architecture became the first project in the United States, and only the third in the world, to use Bendheim’s vertically-and-horizontally shingled glass rainscreen system. The luminous rainscreen creates a sculptural feature wall on the exterior of the building.

Inova occupies a 117-acre site that previously served as Exxon Mobil’s corporate HQ. Part of the effort to transform the 40-year-old campus into modern, patient-centered research and treatment center, the architects revamped the existing structures and added a new two-story proton therapy facility on the north-east end. The new addition houses highly sensitive imaging and diagnostic equipment, shielded behind 16-ft-thick reinforced concrete walls.

Inova illuminated glass rainscreen

Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Fairfax, VA by Wilmot Sanz Architecture. Photo by Greg McGillivray, Halkin Mason Photography.

Bendheim’s 8,000 sq. ft. glass rainscreen plays the key role in transforming the cold concrete volume into a design highlight. True to Wilmot Sanz’s mission to deliver a patient-centered experience, the facade becomes a welcoming beacon. Constructed from translucent, ultra-white laminated textured glass, it scatters light, presenting a brilliant white aesthetic during the day. At night, the finely textured Solar™ glass diffuses cable LED back-lighting.

Bendheim engineered the glass with a structural SentryGlas® ionoplast interlayer in order to use relatively lightweight 3/8” (10 mm) glass for the large, 5 ft. by 6 ft., cladding panels. The interlayer reinforces the glass so it can span under the imposed wind loads. The vertically-and-horizontally shingled panels are held in patented compression fittings, independent of each other, for ease and speed of installation. The cladding’s continuous horizontal steel substructure sits atop a layer of rigid insulation, and doubles as an anchor for the cable LED lighting.

Inova glass rainscreen installation

Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Fairfax, VA by Wilmot Sanz Architecture during installation. Photo courtesy Glass & Metals.

The glass rainscreen has more than an aesthetic and lighting role. It is necessary for the long-term performance and durability of the proton facility. The medical equipment it houses required a completely watertight building envelope. The specified Bendheim Wall-VH shingled glass system acts as a permanent moisture shield. It is fully tested in accordance with ASTM E330-02 for structural performance and AAMA 509-09 for its ability to stop more than 90 percent of wind-driven rain from reaching the air and vapor barrier of the building. The less than 10 percent of moisture that could get past the ventilated glass cladding dissipates quickly through drainage and evaporation.

Bendheim’s technical design team is available to assist building and design professionals with glass system specification, customization, design, engineering, and detail drawings on specialty facade projects. For more information, please visit https://bendheim.com/system/ventilated-glass-facade-systems/.