The elegant surface skin of the concrete parking garage at 727 West Madison in the heart of Chicago was designed by renowned FitzGerald Architects. The project includes a 45-story luxury residential tower with an attached parking garage, housing 376 parking spaces on five levels. The vision of an expressive outer skin as well as the wish for natural ventilation and lighting sparked the idea of an open ventilated glass facade.
The selected AL-Wall Flat glass facade system from Längle fulfilled all aesthetic and functional needs, plus it perfectly fit the budget allowances. Choosing from a variety of design options, a refined and almost jewel-like glass facade was created. The system maximized the parking space and saved the client US$1 million. Mr Arjang Khorzad, the Senior Associate at FitzGerald and the project‘s leading architect described the new facade as „... a great product and an aesthetically appealing, interesting system“. The patented compression fittings for the point-based systems are unique and do not require drilling into the glass. The clips are very strong, assembly is easy and fast - therefore labour costs could be reduced to a minimum.
Längle
An important criterion for contemporary and sustainable architecture is the flexibility of the clip system: The individual glass panels can be removed and exchanged very easily.
A key aspect of the design is how the ventilated facade is attached to the building below. With the simplified clip system, the cladding can be mounted directly onto the concrete walls using plates with small indentations. Through using various different designs with high quality glass panels a unique look was created. And the concrete walls underneath are very simply concealed. An intelligent design with the appearance of being weightless which does not require any steel support.
Gaining Space in the heart of Chicago
The facade system offers a 5 centimetre allowance in all directions. The walls could be moved further out and every floor gained an additional meter of parking space all around. Due to the different distances of the glass panels on the concrete substructure, the sizes of the AL-Wall Flat fittings were adapted. Looking at the building from a distance the fittings now appear proportionally correct. The shadow lines behind the glass panels were eliminated - creating a light and airy look.
The facade on the northern and southern side is staggered. Precise spacing is maintained due to the specially manufactured steel plates. There was no need for an expensive mechanical ventilation system - natural ventilation is achieved through 20 cm gaps between the panels.
Natural daylight, complete sun and rain protection and access to fresh air create a positive parking garage experience. The spacious interior and the transparent glass-fassade create a close connection to the outer space.
Längle
The Längle system is a double-scaled cold facade with satinised glazing. It also covers window openings and provides sun-protection. The ventilated rainscreen system is flexible, weather-proof and easy to assemble onto concrete, steel, aluminium and timber substructures. Different design options, sizes and glass panels are available. Innovative custom solutions can be realised. Being weather-proof with automatic fresh air ventilation and the self-cleaning properties of the glass panels make this a highly functional system.
