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Channeling History: Innovative Glass Façade Defines Renovated NYC Landmark

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Bendheim’s Lamberts® channel glass is the focal point of the new eye-catching South Street Seaport at New York’s Pier 17. The glass envelopes the façade of this updated landmark with two stacked rows of 20-foot-tall light-boxes. The three-dimensional glass channels diffuse natural daylight and minimize glare during the day. At night, the back-lit façade becomes a beacon on the Pier.

South Street Seaport | Bendheim Channel Glass Project

South Street Seaport, New York, NY by SHoP Architects. Photo by C. Taylor Crothers Photography, Inc.

SHoP Architects selected Bendheim to provide a tailored solution for this ambitious landmark project. The design required approximately 37,000 square feet of channel glass in a custom shape – featuring a greater flange depth – for added structural capacity. In addition to the non-standard channel shape, Bendheim supplied quick turn-around on samples and reliable estimating throughout the design phase.

The continuous, two-story-tall channels maintain clean design lines and brace against the East River winds without the need for reinforcing wind clips. The channel glass exterior uses structural glazing to create a flush appearance, eliminating typical horizontal frames. The glass is installed in Enclos Corp’s unitized system, facilitating the pre-assembly and installation of the units. On average, each two-story-tall light-box section required only 1.5 hours to hoist and secure to the building.

South Street Seaport | Bendheim Channel Glass Project

South Street Seaport, New York, NY by SHoP Architects. Photo by Said Elieh.

“We thank ShoP Architects and the Howard Hughes Corporation for the opportunity to demonstrate the design capabilities of our channel glass,” said Robert Jayson, Bendheim’s President.

With dozens of Bendheim channel glass projects throughout the city, the new Pier 17 reinvents the material by creating a completely new façade geometry, with truly unique dimensionality and depth. For more information about Bendheim’s Lamberts® Channel Glass, please visit www.bendheim.com/channel-glass.

Style & Functionality: The Rise of Privacy Textured Glass in Office Design

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Architectural Glass Takes a Decorative Turn to Enhance Aesthetics & Comfort

 

Low-Iron "Waterfall" Fluted Textured Glass

Low-Iron “Waterfall” Glass

The popularity of workplace privacy is sparking a demand for textured glass walls and partitions. We are continuing to respond to this growing trend with the introduction of new privacy glass designs, offered in ultra-brilliant low-iron glass. Our expanded textured glass collection is one of the most diverse in the architectural glass industry.

“Waterfall”, one of the recent introductions, is a linear privacy glass texture in 3/8” (10 mm) thickness. It features an organic micro-fluted “cast” design with a hint of rhythmic waviness.

From a distance, it evokes the soothing appearance of cascading water. The ultra-brilliant low-iron glass obscures views, while allowing maximum daylight. Its light-diffusing and glare-reducing properties are ideal for privacy-oriented office spaces.

A leading software development company’s new headquarters is the first project to feature our new “Waterfall” glass. The 60,000 square foot office space provides a mix of private and open collaborative work spaces. It embraces the needs of the hip creative brand and caters to its artistic millennial workforce. Our linear textured glass walls support the multi-functional design and enhance the verticality of the space.

Take Two Interactive | Bendheim Textured Privacy Glass

Photo by Frank Oudeman

“Waterfall” is one of the many recent low-iron glass textures to be introduced by Bendheim, including  “Corduroy” and “Solar”. The glass is available in safety tempered and/or laminated form, in sizes that can accommodate tall floor-to-ceiling applications. Our vertically-integrated glass fabrication facilities offer the opportunity to tailor each design through the addition of custom colors, interlayers, graphics, and more.

Bendheim’s Restoration Glass® Adds Chic Vintage Character to Brooklyn Residence

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A 19th century Brooklyn landmark, turned contemporary residence, features our Full Restoration Glass®. The “antique” hand-made glass features a delicate waviness and occasional small air bubbles, adding classic character and style to the kitchen and master bathroom.

Restoration Glass® is handmade using centuries-old techniques to ensure quality and authenticity. It exhibits mild surface distortions, an occasional air bubble, and other characteristics that can only be found in original mouth-blown and antique window glass. The distinct aesthetic of the glass makes a dramatic impact on architecture.

White Arrow Studio designed the 2,000-square-foot luxury residence to embrace the original detailing and history of the building. The designers selected period-inspired architectural materials to convey an authentic vintage vibe with a touch of modernity and elegance.

Natural light, transmitted through Restoration Glass®, creates dynamic reflections similar to those off rippling water. “This is one of the reasons we selected Bendheim glass” said Keren Richter, Interior Designer at the White Arrow Studio. “We loved the characteristic wavy appearance of the glass, which refracts in an interesting way when touched by light. During specific times of the day, the glass casts stunning water drop reflections on the walls.”

Bendheim’s Restoration Glass® is architects’ and designers’ preferred choice for classic-style home and building renovations. It is found in our country’s most prestigious restorations, including The White House, Monticello – Thomas Jefferson’s Home in Virginia, and Mark Twain’s House in Missouri.

It is available in two varieties, “Full” and “Light,” exhibiting two different levels of distortion. Full Restoration Glass® has a more pronounced texture and accurately represents antique window glass made in the 17th and 18th centuries. Light Restoration Glass® is less distorting and closely resembles window glass found in structures from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

For more information on Restoration Glass®, please visit https://bendheim.com/glass_type/restoration-glass/.

The Construction Specifier Magazine Publishes Cover Story on Our Glass Rainscreen Systems

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See-through rainscreen systems

“The Construction Specifier,” the official magazine of the Construction Specifications Institute, presents readers with an informative editorial about Bendheim’s open ventilated glass rainscreen systems.

Titled, “See-through rainscreens – Looking at the age of open, ventilated glass facades,” the article highlights the aesthetic and performance benefits of ventilated glass facades. In a properly designed rainscreen assembly, glass repels 90 to 100% of the wind-driven rain and moisture. It can comprise the entire facade for non-conditioned spaces, such as transit and parking facilities, or over-clad the performance walls of conditioned spaces.

Written by Said Elieh, Director of Technical Design for Bendheim Wall Systems, the cover story educates architects, designers, construction managers, and specification writers about glass rainscreens and moisture protection, installation methods, testing requirements, and contemporary applications. It highlights the benefits of glass, including its unique ability to transform mundane structures into exciting modern buildings. Glass is an excellent architectural material. It evokes a range of positive associations—prestige, openness, and brightness. It is also exceptionally maintenance-friendly, resisting permanent staining and graffiti.

To access the complete, authorized reprint of the article, please use the following link: https://bendheim.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/construction-specifier-2-18-cover-rainscreen-article-reprint2.pdf

Channel Glass Shines Throughout New Museum of the Bible

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22.5-foot-tall channel glass by Bendheim Wall Systems greets visitors to the new Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. The brilliant, towering channel glass wall-cladding defines the museum’s entrance and Arcade. It conveys a crystalline appearance, symbolic of the original building’s function as a cold storage warehouse. In other areas throughout the museum, translucent channel glass facade elements bring daylight in, while establishing a sense of privacy.

“The translucent channel glass bridges the old building and the new museum… It creates a contrast with the brick and refers back to the ice storage function of the refrigerated warehouse”

 

Museum of the Bible | Bendheim Channel Glass Project

Looking through our channel glass, located on an upper-story gallery floor, down and across the museum’s Arcade below.

Our channel glass is known for its unique structural and aesthetic qualities. Its ability to span great heights was essential to achieving a monolithic, continuous look for the grand, 40-foot-tall main entrance.

Channel glass creates virtually uninterrupted walls of glass, limitless in length and up to 23 feet tall, with little or no need for intermediate framing.  The U-shape of the glass enhances its structural properties, allowing it to achieve far greater spans than flat glass of the same thickness.

Museum of the Bible | Bendheim Channel Glass Project

Looking toward the Museum’s entrance, Bendheim’s Clarissimo™ channel glass is used directly below the illuminated ceiling. The glass functions as both opaque wall cladding and as a translucent partition as seen at the end of the long Arcade.

The entrance and Arcade of The Museum of the Bible are clad in our low-iron Clarissimo™ channel glass, featuring a translucent white ceramic frit. Many of the channels are selectively fritted, as seen in the two photos above, providing a seamless transition from opacity to transparency. Light radiating from the highly polished Clarissimo glass surfaces bounces off the 140-foot-long image-projecting ceiling (see photo above). According to the architects, the effect magnifies the Arcade and surrounding areas. The reflected light, working in tandem with the LED screen technology, helps transform the character of the space and creates an immersive experience.

Museum of the Bible | Channel Glass Project

The facade features Bendheim’s 504 Rough Cast™ channel glass in combination with insulated clear glass. All photos by Alex Fradkin.

“The translucent channel glass bridges the old building and the new museum,” said David Greenbaum, FAIA, SmithGroupJJR lead designer. “It creates a contrast with the brick and refers back to the ice storage function of the refrigerated warehouse.”

Bendheim’s 504 Rough Cast™ channel glass, installed in our SF-60 frame system, enhances the exterior of the building. The light-diffusing textured glass channels create a contrast with adjacent clear insulated glass units. The design team was able to successfully integrate the two glass types with the help of our technical experts, by implementing elegant, minimal tie-ins. From a design standpoint, “when compared to the clear windows, the channel glass implies the human struggle to find an ethical and moral path in our daily lives,” added David Greenbaum.

Bendheim glass is quickly becoming a highly sought after material for buildings of contemporary cultural significance. The Museum of the Bible is the latest national landmark featuring our specialty glass. The National Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. and South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 in New York City are other recent projects.

 

Bendheim Channel Glass Projects Win Top Architectural Honors

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We are proud to announce that two buildings featuring our channel glass wall systems are winners of the 2017 American Architecture Awards. The prestigious awards honor the best new buildings in the USA. Bendheim’s channel glass is a key design element in both structures, contributing to their striking aesthetics and lighting strategies.

The University of Iowa New Visual Arts Building is a hallmark of contemporary glass architecture. Its channel glass walls provide high-quality natural light, creating an illuminating, inspiring educational environment. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, this structure illustrates how filtered daylight can enhance classrooms, art studios, and lounge spaces.

University of Iowa - Visual Arts Building | Bendheim Channel Glass Project

University of Iowa – Visual Arts Building, Iowa City, IA by Steven Holl Architects

 

The new Blu Dot Showroom in West Hollywood, California, makes a design statement by revamping a 70-year-old façade with Bendheim’s channel glass rainscreen system. Standard Architecture selected our channel glass for its refined aesthetic and ability to transform the light. During the daytime, the textured glass channels shimmer in reflected sunlight. Back-lit at night, they transform the building into a lantern.

Blu Dot Showroom | Bendheim Channel Glass Project

Blu Dot Showroom, West Hollywood, CA by Shawmut Design and Construction. Photo by Benny Chan.

 

Lighting – both natural and artificial – is a paramount element of both award-winning designs. Channel glass contributes to each building’s lighting strategy through its anti-glare, light-diffusing properties and exceptionally long spans.

Channel glass offers a stunning alternative to traditional wall systems, creating virtually seamless, luminous glass walls of unlimited lengths. The self-supporting glass channels can stand as tall as 23 feet, while requiring minimal framing. The end result is a uniform appearance with clean design lines.

Bendheim’s channel glass is available in eight decorative textures, in regular and low-iron glass, three thermal performance coatings, and hundreds of ceramic frit colors. The glass contains as much as 40% post-consumer recycled material. It is produced in a super-efficient glass furnace, powered by an ultra-clean mix of oxygen and natural gas.

Over the years, Bendheim channel glass has contributed to numerous award-winning projects, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO, Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge, LA, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, MA.