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Pilkington Profilit helps
improve safety on
campus by allowing
borrowed light to spill out
from the building on to a
frequently traversed area.
Channel Glass Illuminates Science at the University of San Francisco
Challenge:
For NBBJ architects, the inspiration for The University of San Francisco’s new
John Lo Schiavo Center for Science and Innovation (CSI) came from the faculty’s
desire to bring passion to the study of science within the academic curriculum.
“A key driver behind the CSI was to put science on display and create buzz within
the student body,” says Lilian Asperin-Clyman, principal at NBBJ. In implementing
the design vision, one challenge was to create an attention-grabbing, garden-
level façade that embodied this mission while satisfying acoustic and thermal
performance demands.
Solution:
NBBJ found their solution with Pilkington Profilit™ channel glass. The linear,
“U”-shaped, cast-glass channels are self-supporting and mounted in an extruded
metal perimeter frame. In the case of CSI, they were installed vertically, forming
tight radii as they animate and follow the curve of the building’s adjacent walkway.
A second layer of channel glass mirrors a portion of the exterior channel glass
façade to create a glazed corridor. It improves safety on campus by allowing
borrowed light to spill out from the building on to a frequently traversed area. In
select locations, the use of Lumira®aerogel in the channels helps enhance energy
performance and reduce sound transmission.
“By using unique, structurally sound and high-performing materials like Pilkington
Profilit channel glass, we were able to experiment with geometry, layering and
lighting to create spaces that not only attract students, but also satisfy the
facility’s highest functional requirements,” concludes Asperin-Clyman.
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