For a new mixed-use residential/cultural development in Brooklyn, New York, schlaich bergermann partner designed a self-supporting glass facade for an Apple store on the ground level with maximum heights of 10 m and no additional cable/fin/mullion system. The challenge of designing this enclosure assembly was to make it appear as minimal as possible, with few visible supports.
Glass, framing and joints in the facade are designed to withstand dead loads, wind, and temperature. In the case of a seismic event, the glass will remain in place due to design of the laminated glass make-up and silicone joints. Made up of insulated glass units (IGU’s), the entire facade is held by a custom, thermally broken glazing channel.
The glass panels are clamped at the bottom and pin supported at the top with stainless steel clamps and silicone to reduce lateral deflection due to wind load. The south facade includes a door frame with a revolving door and an all-glass swing door made from a custom stainless-steel assembly. Along the sides and at the corners of the assembly, the glass panels are fastened to each other with silicone, but without any other rigid structural supports.
The project required coordination of the enclosure to the building structure, with an accelerated construction schedule. The building’s transparent structural glass facade is now an iconic element in a rapidly growing part of Brooklyn.
