New, unique glazing laminate systems used in lobby installation

Laminated glass made with Solutia's new DESIGN and COLOR offerings combine classic designs and brilliant colors with unmatched functionality

Visitors to Solutia Inc.'s headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, are welcomed by a new and dramatic two-story glass installation in the office's front lobby. Situated behind the main reception desk, the glass installation helps to draw attention to the reception area, and creates a soothing and tranquil atmosphere throughout the entire lobby. The installation incorporates Solutia's new DESIGN and COLOR advanced laminate systems, both of which are based on Solutia's plastic interlayer, a tough, resilient polyvinyl butyral (PVB) used in laminated glass.

These exciting DESIGN and COLOR options are part of Solutia's new family of advanced laminate systems of glass. This new family encompasses a range of product offerings as well as many different technologies. Combining colors and designs, Solutia's new DESIGN and COLOR offerings mix form with function by providing all the benefits of laminated glass with high design.

The lobby installation consists of 10 glass panels ranging in size from 24 _" x 97" to 65 _" x 97 _". The peaceful blue hue of the glass was achieved by mixing four colored interlayers. Solutia's unique advanced laminate color system makes custom colored glass achievable, even in small quantities. Nine colored interlayers can be used alone or combined up to a maximum of four layers to produce over 600 transparent or translucent colors. The color interlayer system can also be used in combination with tinted glass and/or reflective coatings for even more color possibilities. All colored interlayers are made with heat and light-stable pigments, instead of dyes, to produce truer, long-lasting colors.

Half of the glass installation's panels also include an intricate dot design from Solutia's exciting new DESIGN laminate system. The DESIGN advanced laminate system provides architects and interior designers with classic and attractive designs that were developed with input from some of the country's most prestigious designers and architects. The designs are patterned onto a film that is encapsulated inside the laminated glass system. The designs are available in nine patterns, and can be mixed with Solutia's COLOR laminate system to provide unlimited design options.

In the Solutia lobby installation, architectural firm Arcturis experimented with the unlimited capabilities of Solutia's DESIGN and COLOR systems. "We wanted to showcase the sophistication of the products by demonstrating how subtle manipulations can have a profound difference on the design of the installation," says Ronald Johnson, Principal Architect for Arcturis. "On one side of the glass, the dot design has a grey appearance. On the other side of the glass, however, the dot design has a burgundy appearance. We reversed two of the installations panels to exhibit the burgundy appearance and the range of possibilities with the product."

In addition to its aesthetic qualities, Solutia's DESIGN and COLOR advanced laminates were used because of the functional benefits the plastic interlayer provides, including enhanced safety, sound control, and structural benefits. "Due to the size, location and placement of the glass installation, safety was a large concern," says Johnson. By utilizing Solutia's plastic interlayer in its construction, the DESIGN and COLOR interlayer systems provide protection from dangerous flying or falling glass fragments. Upon impact, the glass itself may crack, but the fragments tend to adhere to the plastic interlayer. By keeping the glass in its place, the risk of injury as a result of broken glass is considerably reduced.

The DESIGN and COLOR advanced laminate systems were also used for the acoustical benefits. Laminated glass helps to reduce the transmission of sound, helping to dampen noise transmitted in the busy lobby. The Solutia plastic interlayer dampens the vibration of glass, thus reducing transmitted sound.

PROJECT FACTS:
Architect: Arcturis, St. Louis, MO
Glass Installer: Missouri Valley Glass, St. Louis, MO
Laminator: Floral Glass, Hauppauge, NY
Project Completion Date: December 2000

Back to Project Profiles