The new Fillmore complex in Denver will use Guardian SunGuard’s latest glass product, the Neutral 78/65

What do the Burj Khalifa, New York City’s Hearst Tower, and the Art Gallery of Ontario have in common? (Besides all being quite breathtaking?) They all are dressed up in Guardian SunGuard coated glass. Architects—like Frank Gehry, Sir Norman Foster, and the team at SOM—have long turned to Guardian SunGuard’s ultra high-performance products for their buildings. Not only do their glass panels look great, but they also use the latest technological innovations to shield structures from storms, significantly cut energy use, and save costs.

The Garibaldi Glass factory and headquarters in Burnaby, British Columbia.  The factory’s main entrance features Guardian SunGuard SuperNeutral 68 on a full-size, point-supported, insulating glass wall. Buildings in heating-dominated climates like BC will benefit from Guardian SunGuard’s new high-performance glass.

Well now, Guardian SunGuard is launching an even higher-performance, energy-saving, innovative product for cold, or heating-dominated, climates. To be unveiled at the AIA Convention in Denver next week, SunGuard Neutral 78/65 promises to let in even more natural light and generate more solar heat—which will definitely help projects in cooler climates meet energy codes and qualify for LEED points.  See a graph on how the glass works after the jump.

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William Lamson
Solarium, 2012
Steel, glass, sugar, plants
10′ 10″ x 8′ 11″ x 10′ 3 ³⁄₈ in. (330.2 x 271.8 x 313 cm)
Courtesy the artist and Pierogi Gallery

© Storm King Art Center

Foodies and design geeks are linked by a closely tuned attention to trend-making and aesthetics, which explains all the edible architectural models, installations, and photo projects popping up all over the place. These two realms come crashing once again in William Lamson‘s Solarium—an ecstatic collision of sugar and glass. Part greenhouse, part meditation retreat, Solarium was designed for the Storm King Art Center’s 2012 Light and Landscape show, which also saw entries from the likes of Anish Kapoor and Donald Judd (Solarium has now been de-installed).

The pavilion was made by caramelizing sugar at different temperatures to produce different tones ranging from yellow to brown. The sugar was then sandwiched between panes of glass to produce a gloriously glowing house on a hill. The pavilion serves as a greenhouse for citrus plants, while in the summer months 5×8 foot panels on each face can be opened to let in fresh air. The true success of the project rests not in its concept, but rather on the final affective triumph reminiscent of stained glass.

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Not all seaside architecture need be weathered and worn. England may be famous for its salt-pelted beachfront villages, but the isle’s traditional vacation spots have begun awakening to the sleeker charms of modern design. No doubt we owe some of this progress to the evangelism of the pop philosopher Alain de Botton, who brought modern materials like concrete, glass, and aluminum to the Suffolk seashore through his starchitect-studded vacation rental outfit, Living Architecture.

Before de Botton began his campaign for modern architecture tourism, the Manchester-based practice Arca Architects parked a sleek steel and glass café on the beach in Morecambe, a once-thriving seaside resort that had fallen on hard times. With its pod-like steel wrapper and ample glass, Arca’s design for the Silver Café has more in common with an airport terminal than the old stonework and masonry of nearby structures. So how did the firm build this modern gem in a land of clapboard and crumbling stone? Read more!

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Images courtesy of NBBJ

The NBBJ-designed Seattle campus for Amazon shows that the internet retailer’s designs to conquer the world can’t be stopped by architectural limitations. Rather, the proposed headquarters will (metaphorically) contain worlds within its three interlocking biospheres, which are to house around 65,000 square feet of floor space, as well as non-human life in the form of trees that rise through double height spaces.

Of course, a cynic might say that Amazon is simply creating these immersive environments so that its employees never have to leave, but the architectural motivation is, I think, much grander. Not only do these biospheres provide a strong advertisement for the company—the trees within reference the retailer’s name as well as show strong environmental credentials—but they also show a tentative revival of a longstanding component of the internet-based worldview, one that goes back to the counterculture of the 1960s.

Read more below!

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Images by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

SOM’s newly unveiled tower for Singapore’s Tanjong Pagar district will be the island nation’s tallest once completed. At just over 950 feet high, the tower is a small fry compared to other world contenders. Nonetheless, it will rise above Singapore’s already iconic Surfboard Building and the giant pink trees of its Botanical Garden.

Though the tower will be programmed with mostly residential and commercial uses, the architects have included a “City Room,” a large covered public space at the base of the tower. It remains to be seen, however, how welcoming the building acts toward its urban neighbors. More after the jump!

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When it comes to the classic function of a building—namely sheltering and providing privacy from the outside world—the idea of a glass structure would have seemed entirely foolish decades ago. Luckily, with the advent of modernism and acceptance of new building materials in the earlier half of the 20th century, a couple of revolutionary architects said “Kiss my GL-ASS” to traditional notions of building and embraced the transparent material as key to a progressive aesthetic.

Noted for its ability to harmoniously merge private spaces with their surroundings, glass has been a crucial component in the designs of some of the world’s most iconic buildings. Yes, people walking on by may be able to see more of your private life (ahem, Michael Fassbender in Shame), but hey, that never hurt anyone! From the glass standards to contemporary wonders, we bring you our top crystal clear glass buildings. Click through to see them all!

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Photo: dip-tech

The first thing you learn about traveling abroad: not all McDonald’s are the same. From bizarre menu items (see this fantastic post charting the fast food giant’s regional eccentricities like Norway’s McLaks, Thailand’s green McPapaya salad, and the Philippines’ McSpaghetti) to bespoke themed outlets (see Australia’s Art Deco version of Mickey D’s iconic typology), McDonalds’ restaurants aren’t cast from the same mold. Case in point: the franchise’s new Batumi, Georgia location, a glass faceted pavilion that brings the Golden Arches into the 21st century.  Click through for more. 

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Designed for a site on Senegal’s Cap-Vert peninsula, this project overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The grand hotel is complete with infinity pool and accompanying lounge chairs, and gives a new face to architecture in Africa: that of a deluxe resort enclave. The lavish finishes and furniture are very nice, but are they too nice? Is this hotel real, or a rendering? Speak your mind in the comments section below!

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Project: Blaffer Art Museum Renovation

Architect: WORKac

Location: Houston, Texas

Although labeled as one of the country’s preeminent contemporary art museums without a permanent collection, the Blaffer Art Museum on the University of Houston Campus suffered from poor accessibility and visibility to the public. With its entrance accessible only through an internal courtyard, and other design flaws such as staircases located in the middle of galleries, the free high-profile exhibitions were often under-attended. WORKac’s striking designed added a projecting entrance volume made of semi-transparent and translucent channel glass that reveals a brand new staircase, sorting out the museum’s path of circulation. Rather than employing a true cantilever, WORKac invented the “wallumn,” a concrete wall that acts as a column, while graphically emphasizing the new entrance. Combined with new interior spaces, such as a café and renovated galleries, the WORKac’s renovation signals a new era of openness and public accessibility, fundamental to the museum’s mission.

Learn more about this project in the Architizer database.

Photos: Iwan Baan

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Project: Park Pavilion

Architect: Moneo Brock Studio

Location: Cuenca, Spain

This astounding park pavilion in the historic city of Cuenca acts as a catalyst for rehabilitating the abandoned surrounding natural landscape. The crowning jewel of a larger urban project that includes the construction of performance spaces, an ice-skating rink, bars and restaurants in a cluster of historic buildings, the park pavilion functions as a venue for the city’s annual fair and weekly market. Composed of 23 pentagonal modules of glass and steel and linked by a structural network, the crystalline pavilion glitters in sunlight, and is sure to capture the eye of any onlooker. By blending material allure with a fragmented layout, the design speaks of a neglected history now infused with a reinvigorated future.

Read more about this project in the Architizer database.

This project was chosen as a Special Mention in the Architizer A+ Awards

Photos: courtesy of Moneo Brock Studio

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