Case Study
New York City Megaprojects
New York City, New York
COMMERCIAL/MIXED USE
Super Spacer® stands tall in New York City Megaprojects
With megaprojects in New York City, expectations for the glazing are just as high as the buildings! Super Spacer® from Quanex stands tall when it comes to these exacting demands.
Whether refurbishing or new projects – the high-quality insulating glass manufacturer AGC Interpane has a constant stream of projects in New York. For decades, they have been one of Europe’s top fabricators for high-quality, multifunctional, large area insulating glazing. They are among the few companies who can handle megaprojects on a global scale. In addition to new construction, glass for energy-related facade renovation and modernization projects make up a significant portion of their impressive work portfolio.
For AGC Interpane’s projects, Quanex’s Super Spacer® T-Spacer™ warm edge spacer system is always part of the action, including two exclusive office buildings owned by Brookfield Properties in Manhattan.
First, there is the 39-story former Tishman Building on 5th Avenue. It was built in 1957 on the site where William K. Vanderbilt’s Petit Chateau once stood. The tower was redesigned by American architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox. A glass facade with floor-to-ceiling, horizontally arranged insulating glass panes replaced the previous, non-insulating facade made of embossed aluminum. AGC Interpane supplied around 2,000 insulating glass units measuring ~ 19.5 ft x 10.5 ft (6 m x 3.2 m) all fabricated using the Super Spacer® T-Spacer™ product, an impressive 250,000 square feet (25,000 m2) of insulating glass.
The second modernization project is Two Bryant Park. The former HBO headquarters at the corner of 1100 Avenue of the Americas and 42nd Street, was remodeled to a design by New York firm MdeAS.
Originally built in 1906 in the Beaux-Arts style building was raised from 6 stories to 15 in several phases. For the project, AGC Interpane produced `100,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of insulating glass units measuring 10.5 ft x 15 ft (3.2 m X 4.6 m) using the Super Spacer® T-Spacer product.
“The parallelism of the spacer to the glass edge and minimal tolerances are not only optical criteria for large panes with narrow joints that architects and facade construction customers explicitly pay attention to, but these properties contribute to the stability of the entire element,” says Daniel Bruckelt, Head of Insulating Glass Production at AGC Interpane. “The decision to use Super Spacer as a spacer is also a strategic one. We know from experience that we can use it without hesitation to give assurances for the service life of the edge seal, even in silicone applications,” Bruckelt continues.