NYU’s Billion-Dollar Glass Building

The all-glass façade is both practical and symbolic. When the university sought to expand its footprint beyond its current campus, its plans were met with stiff opposition from its nearby neighbors. The issue was litigated and the University prevailed. The all-glass façade is meant to help heal the rift that was opened between the University and the surrounding community, some members of which wanted the land to be used as a park. As a nod to the community, the building will also feature about 8,000 square feet of space designated for community or public use.

The University acquired the space on which the new building will sit in the 1960’s. To create enough space for the new “super building”, the University needed to demolish an existing recreation building, which was completed in August 2016.

Even though the new building’s size seems immense, it’s actually only about 80% of what the city would allow on a parcel of that size. The building’s glass façade will provide a significant amount of natural light. It will also have a “green roof” and low-flow plumbing, as well as a rainwater runoff retention system.

According to NYU, the building is much needed and long overdue. While the facility does replace an athletic and recreation building, it also expands the available instructional space and relieve currently overcrowded classrooms. According to NYU, the building will be ready for use in 2021.

New film can make any glass “smart”

The Texas researchers collaborated with scientists in France and Spain to create the material. The material, which contains niobium oxide, is about twice as efficient as conventional smart windows. The film is classified as an amorphous structure, which means that its atoms do not ordinarily arrange in a typical crystalline structure.

Conventional materials adopt a uniform, crystalline structure that is replicated throughout the material. Amorphous materials, on the other hand, contain local arrangements of atoms that differ based on the material. Amorphous materials created at high temperatures tend to arrange themselves in dense, three-dimensional bonds. The researchers were able to determine that the new material, which is formed at lower temperatures, does not have the dense 3-D structure, but rather has a linear structure that allows ions to flow more freely through the material. The discovery provided enough information to predict the behavior of the new material and allow the other team members to create it.

The arrangement of atoms in amorphous structures determines what the materials can do. The researchers can use the technique to predict the behavior of other amorphous materials and optimize their performance. The researchers are now focusing on creating a low-temperature flexible material using the new compounds that performs as well as or better than conventional electrochromic materials. Being able to mass-produce the material at low temperatures will simplify the manufacturing process and make it both readily available and affordable.

Jail awaits fire glass faker

Fire-safe glass is typically rated in minutes, and describes the amount of time the glass can withstand fire and heat damage before failing. The purpose of fire-rated glass is not to prevent fire from spreading, but rather to increase the amount of time available for building occupants to make a safe escape. In addition, fire-rated safety glass uses special framing that is matched to the fire resistance of the glazing.

The fake fire glass is actually ordinary laminated glass, which can be purchased for around $1-$2 per square foot. After re-labeling it as fire-related glass, the company resold it for $18 – $33 per square foot. Prosecutors are not aware of any injuries that could be attributed to the phony glass.

The company sold the glass for about two years, and prosecutors claim that owner Seamus Laverty made about $175,000 in profits on the fraud. The judge noted that while his profits were not outrageous, the potential danger he created and the environments in which he placed the inadequate glass demanded a sentence that included jail time.

The investigation conducted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland relied on dozens of building contractors who assisted in identifying the affected glass. To date, the agency has identified nearly 100 sites where the glass was installed. Police estimate that the final cost of the fraud, which has yet to be confirmed, exceeds $600,000. The company has already begun replacing the laminated glass with genuine fire-rated safety glass.

Could body armor be made from glass?

Stopping projectiles and weapons in close combat has often been left to super materials like Kevlar, but some researchers think that new metallic glass formulations could find their way into the next generation of body armor and shields. Research teams from the University of California, San Diego, the University of Southern California and the California Institute of Technology reported the development of a metallic glass (amorphous steel) alloy that can withstand an impact without permanently deforming.

The discovery is generating significant interest because the material’s ability to withstand external forces exceeds those of any other steel alloy in existence. Metallic glasses have captured the attention of materials engineers because they are exceptional hard without being brittle. The material was designed specifically to survive extreme conditions. That means it can be created under extreme conditions without being damaged.

The material, which is currently known as SAM2X5-630, was created by mixing metal powders, which were then subject to extreme pressure and exposed to a 10,000-amp current at nearly 1,200° F. The production process is known as spark plasma sintering. That production method is preferred because it produces finished materials in a matter of minutes.

Researchers tested the material by firing high-velocity copper plates at it. The test projectiles traveled at rates between 500 m/s and 1,300 m/s. While the SAM2X5-630 samples did deform on impact, the deformations were not permanent. The test material is nearly 60 times stronger than ordinary stainless steel, and about 2.5 times stronger than tungsten-carbide ceramic.

Despite its promise, the new material doesn’t take the crown for being the most elastic. Diamonds are about 5 times stronger than the new metallic glass material, but researchers are looking for ways to make the SAM2X5-630 even better at absorbing more impact. The most likely way to accomplish that involves increasing the material’s weight.

Iconic Glass Structures – General Motors Technical Center

This week in our ongoing series on glass construction, we look at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, MI. The GM Technical Center was one of the very first buildings to make heavy use of architectural glass, when it was initially designed in 1949.

The Technical Center was designed by neofuturistic architect Eero Saarinen. Saarinen studied architecture in Paris, beginning in 1929. He completed his studies at Yale University in 1934. Saarinen’s design style was influenced by Bauhaus designers and architects, including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Although he did not study at the Bauhaus, Saarinen often designed furniture, some of which –like his Tulip Chair – is considered iconic for its time period.

Saarinen also designed buildings and other structure. One of his most recognizable designs is the iconic St. Louis Gateway Arch. In addition to the General Motors Technical Center, Saarinen designed a number of corporate buildings, including headquarters for IBM, Bell Laboratories, CBS and John Deere. He also designed the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport in New York, and the main terminal at Dulles International Airport.

The GM Technical Center is situated on a 700-acre campus and contains dozens of buildings. Its main building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and has also been designated as a National Historical Landmark.

One of the features of Saarinen’s original site design is the “Design Dome,” a 185-foot diameter dome that is capped with interlocking aluminum panels and glass walls. Every GM product produced since 1956 has been introduced on the dome’s shadowless design floor. GM recently refurbished the Design Dome. One of the upgrades includes computer controlled white and colored LED lighting to accentuate the products on the Design Dome floor.