Lamberts channel glass from Bendheim Wall Systems Inc. is a prominent design element in the renovation of 640 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA. Owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Investment Management Company (MITIMCo), the historically significant building formerly served as the Ford Motor Company’s assembly plant, where the iconic Model T car was built.
Designed by KlingStubbins, the two-story interior serpentine wall of channel glass defines the renovated entrance, providing a modern design element for the 225,000 square-foot building. Lamberts’ 504 Rough Cast, a texture reminiscent of hammered pearl or orange peel, combines moderate translucency with superior light scattering properties. Daylight brings a living vitality to the lobby space. At night, the illuminated double-glazed glass wall creates a warm, glowing appearance. “We were very happy with the installation and the overall effect of Bendheim’s channel glass. Both day and night, the effects were better than we expected” stated Michael Giardina, Design Principal at KlingStubbins.
Bendheim Wall Systems’ technical team collaborated with the architects to create the structurally sound wall of glass, free of unsightly metal jambs. Channel glass is one of the few products capable of creating continuous, uninterrupted glass walls of unlimited length. Ipswich Bay Glass Co. installed the channel glass in Bendheim Wall Systems’ I-41 frame, configured in a softly curving shape for a continuous, refined appearance.
In addition to the remodeled entrance, 640 Memorial Drive was completely re-engineered to meet the demands of emerging and innovative research. It features new mechanical systems and modern workspace designed to improve energy efficiency and water use. The 40% post-consumer recycled content of the Lamberts channel glass contributed to the project earning its LEED Gold certification.
Blaffer Art Museum Renovation Comes to Life with Bendheim Wall System’s Channel Glass
The University of Houston’s Blaffer Art Museum has transformed its appearance with a new entrance featuring Bendheim Wall Systems’ channel glass. Designed by New York City-based WORKac, the welcoming, light-filled entrance with its dramatic staircase creates a sense of openness throughout the reception area.
“With the help of Bendheim Wall Systems, WORKac’s renovation of the Blaffer Museum came to life through the amazing possibilities of channel glass,” said Dan Wood, principal and co-founder of WORKac. “Bendheim was a pleasure to work with, and, together, we produced a refreshing and beautiful new landmark for the University of Houston and the city at large.”
The architects worked closely with Bendheim Wall Systems’ team to achieve the slanted appearance of the facade while staying on budget. The cost-effective alternative to the custom angle-cut channel glass stepped the glass channels within the framing system and incorporated an aluminum flashing to create the sloped appearance. The concealed design change substantially lowered the cost of material when compared to an angle-cut channel glass solution and also facilitated the installation.
The architects selected Lamberts 504 Rough Cast, pebble textured channel glass, with a blue-gray Azur coating to enhance the solar heat gain coefficient of the wall, to help the building remain cool in the hot Texas climate. Bendheim Wall Systems’ SF60 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 38-year 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.
Lincoln Ctr. Theater, Featuring Bendheim Channel Glass, Named Architect Annual Design Review Winner
Lincoln Center’s new Claire Tow Theater, with its channel glass enclosed elevator, is a winner of Architect Magazine’s 2012 Annual Design Review. The competition celebrates the best of American architecture, selecting winners from projects completed during 2012.
H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture boldly developed the Clare Tow Theater, home to Lincoln Center Theater LCT3 on the roof of the Vivian Beaumont Theater. To create access to the theater, H3 Hardy punched through the roof of the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed structure to create two elevators wrapped in translucent Lamberts channel glass from Bendheim. The unique structural properties of the glass permit 23’ tall spans of glass, inviting volumes of daylight in while providing dramatic glowing images at night.
Close collaboration between H3 Hardy, Bendheim Wall Systems, and the glazier, A-Val Architectural Metal Co., brought the design of maximum glass with minimal frame elements to life. The SGCC-certified tempered and heat-soak tested glass channels have the characteristic strength to span openings 23’ tall and withstand high wind loads. Provided with a low-e coating, the channel glass bolsters the building’s thermal envelope and reduce energy costs.
In evaluating the award contenders, the Annual Design Review jurors recognized the projects striving for clarity of statement regarding their relationships to their surroundings. The LCT3 Theater is an excellent example of how iconic architecture can be changed without damaging its identity.
Bendheim’s Magnetic Glass Marker Boards Featured in Sunset’s “Smart Homes”
Bendheim’s Decorative Glass Magnetic Marker Boards provide a sleek alternative to conventional bulletin boards in Sunset Smart Homes, a mixed-use development in Palo Alto, Calif. The safety laminated glass is used as a writable wall cladding and a magnetic pin board in the Idea House, a showcase for energy-efficient, innovative, contemporary homes.
“Bendheim’s Magnetic Marker Boards complement the modern, urban aesthetic of the homes,” said Sarah Gaffney, Home Program Manager at Sunset Magazine. “Our editors loved the ‘idea’ quality of the product, an architectural alternative to corkboard bulletin boards.”
Bendheim’s two-by-three-foot Magnetic Glass Marker Board is featured in the kitchen area. Two additional three-by-six-foot boards are displayed in the home office on the closet sliding doors.
Bendheim’s functional, high-polish writing surfaces provide the benefit of durable, maintenance-friendly glass. Standard dry-erase markers and erasers make cleanup easy without ghosting or permanent staining. Powerful magnets allow a variety of materials, ranging from standard notes to brochures and heavy cards, to be elegantly “pinned” to the boards.
“We loved how it looked, as did the visitors to the home,” added Gaffney. “They consistently provided the response we were looking for: ‘How cool is this! I’ve never seen this before.’”
Magnetic Marker Boards can be installed in frames for partitions and wall cladding applications; with stand-off hardware attachments; or applied directly to walls or other surfaces using structural silicone. Designers and contractors can select from single- or dual-sided formats of the Magnetic Marker Boards, the latter allowing for a distinct aesthetic on each side of the board, i.e., one side of the glass can be white, the opposite – black. The standard Marker Boards come in white / black colors and feature luminous fire-polished surfaces. Custom colors and decorative imprinted options are available for larger orders, providing design flexibility.
The boards are in 5/16” thickness and are available in sizes up to 60” by 96” to the trade only (architects, interior designers, building contractors).
Art Glass Brings Tranquility to Norton Cancer Institute
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
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.