Two Bendheim Wall Systems’ Channel Glass Projects Win 2008 American Architecture Awards

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Bloch Building in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure in California, two projects featuring Lamberts channel glass provided by Bendheim Wall Systems Inc., have received 2008 American Architecture Awards for the best new building design in the United States.

The American Architecture Awards honor the most outstanding accomplishments for new architecture and urban planning projects designed and built in this country. This year’s jury conferred in Athens, Greece, and selected winners from hundreds of submissions from American architects and international firms practicing in the U.S.

“We are extremely pleased that the American Architecture Awards program has recognized these two projects featuring Bendheim Wall System’s channel glass,” said Robert Jayson, President of Bendheim. “Both (projects) are strong examples of the dynamic design possibilities that can result when channel glass is used.”

Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art features five lenses of custom glass channels in a double glazed curtain wall application. Earlier this year, the project received the AIA National Honor Award and was selected as the # 1 Best (New and Upcoming) Architectural Marvel of 2007 by Time Magazine. The Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure, designed by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects, is the first LEED-certified parking structure in the United States. Bendheim’s tempered, back-painted Lamberts Prismasolar^® texture channel glass set in a custom frame system earned the project a 2007 “Design in Glass” Award from the Glass Association of North America.

Established more than 10 years ago, the American Architecture Awards is a prestigious awards program for the public recognition of Excellence in Architecture in the United States both among national and international firms. The Awards identify cutting-edge design direction, urban philosophy, design approach, style, and intellectual substance in American architecture today. They are awarded by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, together with the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd.