Nature-inspired Design:
A new transparent jewel transforms student union
Posted
07/28/2011
To revitalize the Student Union Building at the
State University of New York at New Paltz, the institution
transformed an existing original 1970's concrete building and an
underused courtyard into a welcoming "winter garden" encased in
glass and metal. Inspired by the regional landscape of the Catskill
Mountains, the form and shape of the Student Union's new atrium is
abstracted from the Shawangunk Ridge.
The university wanted to transform the front door appearance to
the school, while creating a "living room" for students to gather
and socialize, says Benjamin J. Petrick, AIA, with Princeton,
N.J.-based ikon.5 architects. Complementing the exterior, the
interior of the space was designed for comfort and is filled with
many pieces of oversized modernist furniture. Bringing the
"crystalline palisade" vision to life, Boonton, N.J.-based Niram
Inc. served as general contractor.
Super Sky Products Enterprises LLC, Mequon, Wis., engineered,
fabricated and installed the atrium's custom glazing system. The
three-story addition is enclosed in 10,150 square feet of
multifaceted, vertical, inverted and overhead glass in an aluminum
frame and supported by an exposed steel structure. All of the
aluminum framing and cladding components for the Super Sky's
glazing system were painted by Wausau, Wis.-based Linetec with
different colors on the interior and exterior. On the inside, a
Bone White 50 percent Kynar PVDF resin coating was used, while on
the outside, a Sea Foam Green custom two-coat mica, 70 percent
Kynar 500 PVDF resin-based coating was spray-applied and
oven-cured.
While not LEED certified, sustainability was also important to
the university, requiring the project to meet the guidelines for
LEED Silver certification. In addition to sustainable features such
as daylighting, outside views, recyclable materials, thermal
comfort and indoor air quality, the project features recyclable
materials, including recyclable glass in the concrete flooring,
radiant heating and cooling, ceramic fritted glass technology and
low water use plumbing fixtures.
A key aspect of sustainable finishes is recognized by utilizing
materials with low-VOCs to improve interior air quality. Linetec's
finishing facility safely and efficiently captures and destroys the
VOCs present in liquid solvent-based paints. "We use specialized
equipment to safely capture 100 percent of the VOCs released in the
painting process, and to destroy these captured VOCs with 98.5
percent efficiency at the factory-before the materials' arrival to
the building site," says Linetec's senior marketing specialist,
Tammy
Schroeder, LEED Green Associate. Schroeder
continues, "As the mainstay of architectural coatings, 70 percent
PVDF coatings offer the ultimate protection in building
performance. These finishes exhibit outstanding resistance to
humidity, color change, chalk, gloss loss and chemicals. The
reliability and durability of this painted finish helps reduce
maintenance, repair and replacement."
Along with the glazing system's recyclable aluminum framing and
durable, eco-friendly finishes, the insulated, laminated glass
units also support SUNY's sustainability objectives. Owatonna,
Minn.-based Viracon Inc.'s VNE2-63 glass was specified to optimize
occupants' comfort by reducing solar heat gain and enhance energy
efficiency by reducing artificial light and electricity use. The
glass also is a design element in itself as its ceramic frit is
patterned after an abstracted, digitized version of the Shawangunk
Mountains' tectonic plates.
The grand opening of the Student Union Building's Atrium took
place on Sept. 13, 2010. Today, this award-winning Campus Commons
fulfills its vision offering areas for studying, gaming, dining,
conversing, collaborating and connecting.
"The campus' response to the Commons has been overwhelmingly
positive," Petrick says. "The university has re-branded their logo
to incorporate the form and shape of the 'glass palisade.'"
Additionally, Petrick says the project has won a number of
awards, including an American Architecture Award from the Chicago
Athenaeum and a design award from the New Jersey American Institute
of Architects.