Channel Glass-Clad Blaffer Art Museum Wins Best of Year Award

WORKac architects' remarkable design is yet another confirmation of the prominent role channel glass can play in transforming interior spaces.   

New channel glass entrance enhances both the museum’s façade and interiors.

WORKac worked closely on this building adaptation with the Bendheim Wall Systems design team to create a dramatic, budget-friendly channel glass application for the new sloped museum entrance. Contrasting smooth and pebble textured glass reveals a new grand staircase and floods the interior space with daylight. A subtle Azur solar control coating casts a pale smoky blue hue while improving the thermal performance of the double-glazed wall. The resulting aesthetic is enlivening and modernizing, enhancing both the museum’s façade and interiors.

“With the help of Bendheim Wall Systems, WORKac’s renovation of the Blaffer Art Museum came to life through the amazing possibilities of channel glass. Bendheim was a pleasure to work with, and, together, we produced a refreshing and beautiful new landmark for the University of Houston and the city at large,” said Dan Wood of WORKac.

Channel glass walls flood the grand staircase with daylight. Photos courtesy of Blaffer Art Museum.

This project award is especially dear to our team, because it recognizes the ability of channel glass to enhance interior design. Interior channel glass walls and partitions create light-filled spaces without sacrificing the need for privacy. A range of six textures in 40% post-consumer recycled or ultra-clear low iron glass, as well as hundreds of enameled colors, offer choice of design and various levels of privacy. The channels’ signature linear appearance creates a streamlined, modern aesthetic and the sense of larger, more open and airy spaces.

Bendheim Wall Systems’ engineers help designers create single or double glazed interior partitions, with glass channels oriented vertically or horizontally, depending on the desired aesthetic. Vertical channel glass systems can be also custom-curved, facilitating dramatic interior geometries. We engineer our proprietary interior frames for the demands of each specific application. The frames permit “dry- gasket” assembly, eliminating the need for silicone sealants. Dry-gasket assembly speeds installation, reduces labor costs, and creates a superior aesthetic, while offering impeccable joint connections.

In addition to the recent Interior Design Best of Year Merit Award, the Blaffer Art Museum also won the 2013 AIA Houston Design Award for Renovation/Restoration. These recognitions are an inspiring acknowledgement of the role architecture and design play in the lives of people and communities. We are proud to have partnered with WORKac on this project.

About Bendheim Wall Systems Inc.:

Bendheim Wall Systems, Inc. is North America's leading channel glass wall systems supplier and the exclusive distributor of Lamberts channel glass. The company’s award-winning projects include Steven Holl’s Bloch Building/Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Shaw Center for the Arts by Schwartz/Silver, and the Boston ICA by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.