In Chico, California, a new 67,433 square-foot courthouse rises out of the ground like the picturesque buttes in the area’s surrounding foothills. Its soaring steel and glass curtain wall entry pays tribute to the beautiful rock formations, piercing through the building’s roofline to form a cupola that stands out in the skyline.
“The curtain wall and cupola mirror the shape of the landforms, giving structure to both the building and the community,” explains Windom Kimsey, design principal and president of TSK Architects. “People can look up from almost anywhere in the surrounding development and see the entry. It anchors the courthouse to the community.”
While the expansive curtain wall and cupola are central to the landmark building, developing the distinctive entry first required overcoming several complexities. “Our challenge wasn’t just getting the geometry right,” recalls Kimsey. “It was also to create a welcoming space that would accommodate people waiting for courthouse services. Heat is a factor in Chico, and we wanted people to be able to wait inside in a comfortable, light-filled setting.”
To successfully overcome these challenges, TSK Architects worked with Technical Glass Products (TGP) to design a curtain wall and cupola that was adaptable enough to follow the butte’s tall, geometrical shape, yet also strong enough to support large free spans of glazing to flood the entry with daylight. The solution was TGP’s SteelBuilt Curtainwall Infinity™ System.
Custom U-shaped cover caps give distinction to entry
The SteelBuilt Curtainwall Infinity System is approximately three times stronger than traditional aluminum curtain wall assemblies and can use as a back mullion nearly any type of structural member. In this instance, the system uses custom, laser welded steel back mullions that were 3 1/8 inches wide by 12 inches deep. Due to steel’s strength, the slender system is able to support large lites of glass to ensure courthouse visitors receive ample daylight while waiting inside.
The flexibility to use steel frames in various complex shapes and custom cover caps also made it possible for the firm to achieve their desired aesthetic. Custom extruded aluminum face caps in an elegant U-shape give distinction to the entry and enable the steel curtain wall system to match the appearance of surrounding aluminum door and window systems. The crisp frame profiles complement the slender back mullions, providing building occupants with narrow sightlines and an open, modern entry.
“We wanted the curtain wall and cupola to taper in from all corners like the buttes. But, it was important they do so without obtrusive frame profiles blocking daylight and detracting from the building’s modern aesthetic. This was especially critical in the cupola, where the angles are much tighter,” says Kimsey. “TGP’s steel curtain wall system made it possible for us to meet the project’s unique geometrical needs without compromising on appearance.”
Today, the sophisticated entry welcomes visitors into a courthouse designed to be as timeless as the buttes in the nearby foothills. The building is “incredible from the inside out,” said court executive officer Kimberly Flener as quoted in the Chico Enterprise Record.
For more information on SteelBuilt Curtainwall Infinity products, along with TGP’s other specialty architectural glass and framing, visit tgpamerica.com.
Project: Butte County Courthouse
Location: Chico, CA
Architect: TSK Architects
Glazing Contractor: McCumber’s Glass
Product: SteelBuilt Curtainwall Infnity™ System
Technical Glass Products
800.426.0279
800.451.9857 – fax
sales@tgpamerica.com
www.tgpamerica.com
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Oct 12, 2011
8 Must-know Trends in Office Fitouts
Office designs are adjusting to dramatic changes in employee work habits. Goodbye, cube farm. Hello, bright, open offices with plenty of collaborative space.
| Oct 4, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011
Click here for the latest news and products from Greenbuild 2011, Oct. 4-7, in Toronto.
| Sep 23, 2011
Curtainwall façade installation at Ohio State Cancer and Critical Care facility
A sophisticated curtainwall facade will be installed at the new OSU Cancer and Critical Care facility.
| Feb 10, 2011
7 Things to Know About Impact Glazing and Fire-rated Glass
Back-to-basics answers to seven common questions about impact glazing and fire-rated glass.
| Jan 21, 2011
Music festival’s new home showcases scenic setting
Epstein Joslin Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., to showcase the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, as well at the site’s ocean views.
| Nov 11, 2010
Saint-Gobain to make $80 million investment in SAGE Electrochromics
Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest glass and construction material manufacturers, is making a strategic equity investment in SAGE Electrochromics to make electronically tintable “dynamic glass” an affordable, mass-market product, ushering in a new era of energy-saving buildings.
| Nov 11, 2010
Saint-Gobain to make $80 million investment in SAGE Electrochromics
Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest glass and construction material manufacturers, is making a strategic equity investment in SAGE Electrochromics to make electronically tintable “dynamic glass” an affordable, mass-market product, ushering in a new era of energy-saving buildings.
| Nov 3, 2010
Rotating atriums give Riyadh’s first Hilton an unusual twist
Goettsch Partners, in collaboration with Omrania & Associates (architect of record) and David Wrenn Interiors (interior designer), is serving as design architect for the five-star, 900-key Hilton Riyadh.
| Nov 2, 2010
Cypress Siding Helps Nature Center Look its Part
The Trinity River Audubon Center, which sits within a 6,000-acre forest just outside Dallas, utilizes sustainable materials that help the $12.5 million nature center fit its wooded setting and put it on a path to earning LEED Gold.
| Oct 13, 2010
Prefab Trailblazer
The $137 million, 12-story, 500,000-sf Miami Valley Hospital cardiac center, Dayton, Ohio, is the first major hospital project in the U.S. to have made extensive use of prefabricated components in its design and construction.
