Metropolis Living: Building Products

Published in Metropolis, September 2017

Wellness and comfort are dominating the conversation in residential design today, encouraging architects and interior designers to take a closer look at features like views, light, fresh air, and even color palettes. For example, Forum Architecture & Interior Design combated the harsh Florida sun and heat in one of Orlando’s tallest buildings with sleek, concealed shading systems. Here are some innovative ideas that A&D professionals have recently applied to enhance single- and multifamily housing.

FRITSJURGENS SYSTEM M PIVOT HINGE
Dutch architect Bob Manders created a seamless transition between spaces in this private home in Moergestel, the Netherlands, by incorporating a floor-to-ceiling frameless glass pivot door that utilizes a dual-acting hinge. Because this pivot- and-closer system is mortised in the door, no structural elements—including obtrusive floor closer plates—are required in the ceiling or floor. System M can accommodate oversize doors weighing up to 1,100 pounds.

SHERWIN-WILLIAMS SINCERITY PALETTE
The paint company’s 2018 Colormix forecast calls for simplicity, peace, and serenity, embodied in the soft hues of the Sincerity palette. Sherwin- Williams director of color marketing Sue Wadden explains, “Sincerity is about mindful living and creating an environment to disconnect and recharge.” The series includes neutral tones—think shell-white, sand, and complex grays—as well as nature- inspired hues.

VITROCSA TH+ AND GUILLOTINE SYSTEM
To blur indoor-outdoor boundaries in a three- story penthouse at the 20/30 towers in Beirut, Raëd Abillama Architects selected TH+ sliding facades, which open entire walls to a private terrace and swimming pool, but also boast minimal frame profiles to maximize sight lines. The architects specified systems with both insulating glass and laminated double glazing for high thermal performance, and with motorized control for easy operation.

MARVIN WINDOWS AND DOORS ULTIMATE SERIES
Addressing the needs of two children with limited mobility, Kuklinski + Rappe Architects designed a residence in Downers Grove, Illinois, around three courtyards, all of which could be directly accessed from the bedrooms via Ultimate-series sliding French doors. Ultimate awning windows form clerestories in some of the double- height-ceiling walls, and a combination of Ultimate casement windows and Ultimate sliding and swinging French doors creates large swaths of transparency in other walls to ensure that ample natural light penetrates common areas and non-sleeping rooms throughout the year.

BENDHEIM DECORATIVE LAMINATED GLASS
Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson Architects crafted a dynamic, welcoming entrance for 328 West Wisconsin in Chicago using 300 square feet of laminated safety glass with a UV-resistant silver mesh interlayer that, when LED-backlit after sundown, gives off an ethereal lanternlike glow. Längle compression fittings and clips—which are available in North America exclusively through Bendheim—hold the translucent glass panels to vertical structural supports that are, in turn, affixed to the building. Unlike other rainscreen systems, this one does not require removal of an entire row of panels in order to replace just one.

HUNTER DOUGLAS ARCHITECTURAL RB 500 ROLLER SHADES
Forum Architecture & Interior Design mitigated the solar-gain potential in the condos at Orlando’s Vue at Lake Eola using this roller-shade system with a clean-lined aluminum fascia and back cover. RB 500 shades can be specified in more than 70 fabrics and 500 colors, and operated via chain, crank, or motor.

LACANTINA DOORS ALUMINUM THERMALLY CONTROLLED SYSTEM
Build LLC designed an upper-level living area in the Desai Residence in Seattle with an entire glass wall constructed with this bifolding door system, so the wall can be opened fully, stacking the panels on one side. It not only keeps the interior at the ideal climate but also boasts a narrow stile and rail profile of just under three inches and allows for split finishes on the interior and exterior faces.

AZEK DECK VINTAGE COLLECTION IN MAHOGANY
When the rooftop deck of the 10th Street Lofts in San Francisco began rotting after just seven years of use, the building’s condo association turned to decking specialist Steven Schneider Construction to remedy the problem. The company installed AZEK Deck’s Vintage series in a mahogany finish for its easy maintenance and transport as well as its aesthetic appeal. The product line is Class A–rated for flame retardation—a requirement for many buildings in wildfire-plagued California— and comes with a 30-year fade and stain warranty.