Shingle Glass Curtain Wall

This $100mil building at 1099 New York Ave. NW in DC has what is described on Davis Construction's Website as,
"facades are custom curtainwall systems that appear shingled. The typical intersection of four glazing units results in the individual glass panels occurring in four different horizontal planes, with each unit being sloped horizontally and vertically."

Apparently this will be a moving facade. "The facade will be made up of individual glass panels that will move and reposition based on the angle of the sun to maintain optimum light inside the building all day." - Washington Biz Journal


No mention is made on architect Thomas Phifer & Partners website or Developer Tishman Speyer's website, who considers this to be a "trophy Property". And why would there be since the building is half leased by Law Firm Jenner and Block who also holds an option on the rest of the building.

J&B makes no mention of the unique curtain wall, but rather touts,

"In 2008 our offices will be relocating to a 175,000 square foot office building to be built at 1099 New York Avenue, N.W., one of Washington’s most prominent intersections. The Firm will be an anchor tenant and will initially lease in excess of 80,000 square feet with options for the remaining part of the building. Employees in our new facility will benefit from interior parking, a new fitness center and a rooftop terrace to experience a view that will include the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument." Hope the skin is worth the extra rents.

The glass appears to be clear, probably Viracon VE1-2m, and is floor to ceiling. No word yet on who the wall fabricator is. Here are a few more views (thanks to Rugel and Anna):




















And this is a real nice image from Otavio on Flickr:

Clean Technology Tower

Smith+Gill have in their portfolio section of their website a project called Clean Technology Tower. (See the facade section at left.) This "mixed use" tower in Chicago is an evolution of the Pearl River Tower which both Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill were responsible for while at SOM. Where Pearl River used the face of the building to funnel wind into two large turbine zones this design uses an array of smaller turbines at the corners of the building to catch the wind at its highest velocity. It would be very exciting to see this project take shape, as both the form of the building and the technology involved are very engaging. It is equally interesting to see them continuing to push the limits of net zero building technology after leaving SOM. By looking at their internal roster it's clear that Smith+Gill have enlisted some of the finest talent.