This week for our Project in Focus, we take a look at the recent work W&W Glass completed at the World Financial Center at Brookfield Place in New York City! This large retail center and office complex is home to many shops, restaurants, and various amenities that overlook the Hudson River. W&W Glass was honored to have worked on multiple glass facades on the project including the Marina and Vesey Street Walls at Brookfield Place, the 250 Vesey Street Lobby, and the 225 Liberty Street Lobby.
The entrances to World Financial Center at Brookfield Place needed to be revitalized to match the level of style and class that the new high-end retail shops and boutiques within exemplify. The owner Brookfield was also looking for a mechanically retained system that could withstand very high loads that was different from traditional bolted/point supported glass facade solutions.
With these requirements in mind, we knew that we were going to have to develop a bespoke solution to meet these specific requirements. That’s why we enlisted the assistance of Pilkington and Sedak, two expert companies in structural glass enclosure design and fabrication.
Pilkington was selected for their ability to provide low-iron, super neutral low-e, tempered insulating glass units with superior optics and flatness along with a high degree of expertise and technology to support the custom design parameters. Sedak was chosen due to their ability to produce high quality oversized, triple laminated glass fins that were in some areas over twenty feet tall before requiring a splice! These fins also had extremely tight tolerances and precision polished edgework.
Through the culmination of our efforts, our team developed a unique glass fin system that utilizes oversized, ultra-clear glass fins from Sedak and ultra-clear face glass from Pilkington in concert with shallow stainless steel clad horizontal members for the facades at Vesey Street and the Marina at Brookfield Place. At first glance from the exterior, these entrances look similar to a structurally-glazed high span, stick-built curtain wall that aptly frames the grand atriums behind them. However, after closer inspection, the crystal clear interior glass mullions and minimal amount of hardware reveal a much different system.
This new system allows a striking, unimpeded view of the marina right outside the wall. From the ground floor to the second floor, the stainless steel clad horizontal mullions and low-iron glass fins virtually fade away at each glass joint, while letting in a generous amount of light and offer a dramatic view of the harbor and financial district, respectively.
