seele was comissioned to assembly a private Residence with a glass and steel aluminium curtain wall.

88

insulated glazing units

380sqm 

steel-and-glass façade

steel-and-glass design for a luxury residential building

A new private residence was built near New York City where merely a few dunes separate the house from the ocean waves. This new summer home - designed by 1100 Architect -  is a two-story, flat-roofed building, essentially a rectangle in plan, but with one long side at an angle. The upper floor cantilevers out the width of one room on the west side and on the seaward-facing, south side, part of the roof over the kitchen and living area slopes from the first floor to the roof. A restrained minimalistic design has been chosen for the glass façades in order to create a flowing transition between interior and exterior. Huge glazing elements and their slim, solid, steel mullions dissolve the boundary between the natural world and human lifestyle. A low-rise pavilion completes the ensemble.

  • The house provides seele with another chance to apply its skills in the design and coordination of projects with out-of-the-ordinary building enclosures. Here the exposed location of the house bordering the sea means that the glass façades must be designed to withstand hurricanes. The large size of the panes, with some of the units cut at an angle along the top edge, add to the difficulty in execution. Structural stability must be ensured by the steel columns, to which the aluminum post-and-rail façade is attached. Furthermore, the sections have been designed in such a way that even high wind pressures cannot cause the panes to deflect excessively and work loose. In order to check the design in advance, seele built a full-size model, including all the operable elements, for a hurricane test. To pass the test, the façade had to withstand being struck by high velocity, short wooden stakes and at the same time satisfy defined requirements regarding air tightness and water tightness as well as high demands regarding the quality of the surface finish. seele designed, manufactured and erected the façade based on the outcomes of the testing.

    Reference overview and Header image: © Nikolas Koenig / OTTO

  • The residence made by seele has 11 aluminium frame sliding doors.
  • The elements and glass panels were tested with several tests at the seele testing area in Gersthofen to withstand air and water tightness.
  • Façade specialist seele installed 88 isolated glass units in the private house.
The residence made by seele has 11 aluminium frame sliding doors.
© Nikolas Koenig/OTTO
The elements and glass panels were tested with several tests at the seele testing area in Gersthofen to withstand air and water tightness.
© Nikolas Koenig/OTTO
Façade specialist seele installed 88 isolated glass units in the private house.
© Nikolas Koenig/OTTO

Credits

Client Private
Main contractor Bulgin & Associates
Architect 1100 Architect
Engineer Robert Silman Associates
Date of completion 2012
Scope of work by seele

Steel-and-and glass curtain wall

  • 11 glass sliding doors
  • 4 openable windows
  • 88 insulated glazing units