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CityPlace 2
ProMedica Health and Wellness Center
The Edge
20 Fulton Street East
The Pearl
Chelsea Green Condominiums
U.S. Bank Stadium
Golden 1 Center
Sacramento Kings Arena
Park Place Lexus
Hunt Tower
Fayetteville High School
Phase II
Porsche Cars North America Experience Center and Headquarters
Museum at Prairiefire
Denver Union Station Transit Center
Dennis Meas Justice Center - Pueblo County Judicial Center
Nu Skin Innovation Center
Suzanne & Walter Scott, Jr. Bioengineering Building, Colorado State University
Mile Square Health Center at the Illinois Hospital
Whitworth Robinson Science Hall, Whitworth Universitiy
Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH)
Aurora Early Learning Center
North American Headquarters
Community College of Denver - Confluence Building
Lady Bird Johnson Middle School
NASA Johnson Space Center - Building 12
Tidewater CC Learning Resource Center
Robert M. Smith Student Center, Slippery Rock University
Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing
Cooper School of Medicine - Rowan University
Los Gatos Public Library
Virginia Commonwealth University - West Grace Street Housing
Georgia Gwinnett College Library
and Learning CenterEmpire State Building
Tidewater CC Student Center Norfolk Campus
W Austin
PPG Paints Arena
(formerly Consol Energy Center)Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse
Corporate Office Tower
Sarasota Police Headquarters
Frontier Project
Wells Fargo Center
The Austonian
Rockingham Memorial Hospital
Bakery Square
University of Minnesota
TCF Bank Stadium
700 Sixth Street NW
Pennsylvania State University - Dickinson School of Law, Lewis Katz Building
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - Molecular Foundry
Geisinger Center for Health Research
PCL Centennial Learning Centre
Homer Public Library
77 CityPoint
Medical Center of the Rockies
Ohlone Community College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology
Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
University of Florida Library West
Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas
Heifer International World Headquarters
The Pennsylvania State University, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA)
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Missouri Department of Natural Resources - Lewis and Clark State Office Building
Whitehead Biomedical Research Building, Emory University
Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse
Denver, Colorado, USA
When plans were drawn for the five-story, 317,000-square-foot Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in Denver, Colorado, the idea that drove both the design and product specification was to represent the “Lantern of Justice.” Architects from klipp Architecture Planning Interiors used this metaphor to describe not only the transparent nature of justice, but it also refers to the literal translucence of the building and the significance that it has to the greater community.
The building itself was designed around several theoretical components that are reflected in both the materials used on the structure and the overall building function and aesthetic. The use of Kawneer products helped the project with maximum daylight goals and several LEED® requirements in the Materials & Resources category by using recycled billet contributed to the requirements for recycled content.
Products Used:
1600 SS (Screw Spline)
1600 SS Curtain Wall System - Modified
GLASSvent® for Curtain Wall
LEED® Gold
GIVING JUSTICE THE GREEN LIGHT
When plans were drawn for the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in Denver, Colorado, the idea that drove both the design and product specification was to represent the “Lantern of Justice.” Architects from Denver-based firm klipp Architecture Planning Interiors used this metaphor to describe the five-story, 317,000-square-foot building that is part of the Denver Justice System. Not only does the metaphor represent the transparent nature of justice, but it also refers to the literal translucence of the building and the significance that it has to the greater community.
The courthouse opened in July 2010 and has achieved LEED Gold® certification. In addition to receiving positive response from the community, the building received the 2010 AIA Denver Honor Award for design excellence. “Overall, the building is a visual success,” said Keat Tan, AIA, principal designer of the project at klipp Architecture Planning Interiors. “The sloped glass blossoms from the inside and the proportions of the atrium are absolutely perfect. I’ve stood on every level looking out and I can’t think of one thing we could have done better.”
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
The building itself was designed around several theoretical components that are reflected in both the materials used on the structure and the overall building function and aesthetic. Tan and his team were challenged to express their ideas in a way that corresponded with the larger design scheme of the complex and with the aesthetic of the downtown cityscape as a whole. Articulating this idea is a folding wall of glass on the east side of the building that reaches 92' high. The wall, made with modified 1600 SS (Screw Spline) Unitwall™ curtain wall from Kawneer, extends from north to south forming the “lens” of the lantern. During the day, light filters deep into the building through the glass curtain wall onto five levels of circulation, open stairs and balconies. Directly behind the curtain wall sits the “Filament of Justice,” a vertical light fixture that radiates from the inside at nighttime or when daylight is insufficient. The transparent glass façade allows the light from the building to be visible from Denver’s downtown business district as well as other prominent points throughout the area.
CHALLENGES
- The intricate design of the wall, which incorporates several setbacks, folds and slopes, posed several challenges. To maintain the integrity of the design and the concept of transparency and light, the architect did not want to incorporate a steel support behind the wall, but
rather have the wall appear to float. - The building emphasized horizontal lines, and to create the “lens” appearance, large lites of glass approximately 9 feet by 3 feet were needed.
- The city of Denver requires all applicable new building construction and major renovations to be built and certified to at least the LEED Silver® standard and achieve Energy Star status.
SOLUTIONS
- The curtain wall had to be top hung from a secondary steel structure.
- Working with the architect and Kawneer engineers, Trainor Glass created a 3D model of the wall ensuring all components could fit together and the dead load could be supported. Additionally, experts from Viracon joined the technical engineering team to help design the wall’s support system and determine the weight and flexion of the glass.
- The use of Kawneer’s 1600 SS Unitwall™ helped the project with maximum daylight goals and several LEED® requirements in the Materials & Resources category. The use of recycled billet contributed to the requirements for recycled content; additionally, the curtain wall was fabricated and glazed at Trainor’s shop, which was located less than 500 miles from the job site.
ARCHITECT: klipp Architecture Planning Interiors, Denver, Colorado
GLAZING CONTRACTOR: Trainor Glass, Denver, Colorado
Photography: © Frank Ooms
Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse [513KB]