Harwood International

2023

Nov 2

WHO

Architect: Kengo Kuma, Corgan
Installer: Harmon Inc

  
WHERE & WHEN

Dallas, TX · Americas
  
Completed · 2023

WHAT & HOW

Office & Retail · New Build
30' all-glass lobby facade · Full height unspliced VS1-G fins

FROM THE ARCHITECT CORGAN

❝ A major component of the lobby design intent was to blend indoor and outdoor spaces, embracing natural light and landscaping to blur the boundary of the façade. To create this effect, Corgan sought out glazing systems of exceptional visual and structural transparency, finding a system of large format, low iron ultra-clear glazing supported by full height structural glass fins minimize visual clutter and foster the illusion of an invisible façade. We then led the coordination and detailing efforts to push the stone terracing from the monumental stair seamlessly into the outdoor landscape, to pull the pocket gardens from the streetscape into the lobby, and to morph the fabric-like façade fins into an indoor ceiling cloud. ❞

VS1-G was selected for the lobby of this Kengo Kuma-designed building. The three ply, low iron, full height glass fin is made up of three layers of ½” fully tempered (heat soaked) glass with a .060 Sentryglas (SG) interlayer. The fin is full height (no splice) and spans 30’ at the tallest point. The entire façade (fin and both face glass panels) are hung from the structure above with a movement joint at the sill concealed below the finished floor. There is a single horizontal joint with a point-supported dead load fitting that utilizing holes in the glass fin and clamp plates to transfer the face glass load.

As you travel around the façade the glass fin steps up from the first floor to the second floor through a series of integrated interior/exterior landscaped steps. Also integrated into the façade are two all-glass vestibules. The vestibule at the full height area is perpendicular to the façade and set back approximately two feet utilizing the glass fins as the trim for the entry. At the second floor, the vestibule is at a 45 degree angle to the façade with walls extending to the structure above. Both vestibules utilize a thin fully welded steel tube structure (clad in stainless steel) at the interior and exterior sliding doors to support the weight of the hanging doors. The vestibule at the full height wall is approximately 14’ tall and all walls/ceiling glass is structurally glazed to the main façade so that the structure acts as a diaphragm.