Blaffer Art Museum transforms appearance with new entrance
Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston in Texas has transformed its appearance with a new entrance featuring channel glass from Bendheim Wall Systems, which is designed by the New York-based WORKac.
The welcoming, light-filled entrance with its new staircase creates a sense of openness throughout the reception area.
Featuring a slanting appearance, the façade is a cost-effective alternative to the custom angle-cut channel glass. It has stepped the glass channels within the framing system and incorporated an aluminum flashing to create the sloped appearance.
The concealed design change substantially lowered the cost of material when compared to an angle-cut channel glass solution and also facilitated the installation.
Lamberts 504 Rough Cast, pebble textured channel glass, with a blue-gray Azur coating have been selected to enhance the solar heat gain coefficient of the wall, to help the building remain cool in the hot Texas climate.
Apart from improving the flow of pedestrian traffic into the museum, the design also enhances the building’s entrance and creates a more welcoming entrance to the public.
