The glass panes of ICONSIAM's pleated, self-supporting glass front are arranged in a zig-zag pattern

self-supporting glass front made by seele

iconsiam luxury shopping mall with a structural glass façade

At 300 m long and 24 m high, the impressive glass façade of the ICONSIAM shopping mall in Bangkok stretches the entire length of the building. This self-supporting glass front features 333 panels and 333 fins, forming the largest pleated glass façade in the world, covering 5,300 sqm. Making it a reality required the utmost technical sophistication.
 

double inclined glass front

ICONSIAM’s glass front extends over three floors and cantilevers 4 m upward to serve as a balustrade for the rooftop garden. For structural reasons, this unique glass façade was suspended from above, with the glass panes angled in two directions and arranged in a zigzag pattern.

Façade type
Structural glass
Client
ICONSIAM Co. Ltd.
Contractor
Thai Obayashi Corp., Ltd.
Engineer
KCS & Associates Co., Ltd.
Architect
Urban Architects
The interior design of ICONSIAM with an art installation and imposing columns in front of the self-supporting glass front from the inside with large glass panes and glass swords
View of the Bangkok skyline through a triangular window at the very top of ICONSIAM with a pre-stressed cable façade as a special highlight of the self-supporting glass front
Detail of the self-supporting glass front of ICONSIAM with zig-zag pattern of protruding glass panes and glass fins
Front view of ICONSIAM in Bangkok with self-supporting glass fronts spanning several storeys, lettering, passers-by on the right and buildings in the background

the engineering behind the glass front

Glass fins, up to 24 m high, serve as the load-bearing structure for the all-glass façade. This structure is anchored to the ceiling of the third floor. The weight of the glass, which can be as much as 3.5 t, is supported at the base of the façade panels by horizontal beams called transoms. To avoid inaccuracies caused by welding distortions, the steel components are bolted directly to the glass panels.

 

portals in the self-supporting glass

There are six entrances along the glass façade, framed by gold-coloured stainless steel portals. These portals are structurally necessary to decouple the doors from the suspended glass.
 

Awards for the retail façade

World Retail Congress – Best Store Design of the Year 2019
International Council of Shopping Center's Asia Pacific Awards Programme 2019
Prix Versailles 2019 – Shopping Mall in South Asia and the Pacific 

#madebyseele

Design, production and installation of a structural glass façade consisting of 333 glass panels, each measuring 2.2 x 16 m, made from 2 x 10 mm low-iron heat-strengthened glass

5,300 sqm
structural glass façade
333
glass fins
118 t
stainless steel
103 t
mild steel
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