Texas-Sized Glass Applications

Next week the Glass Association of North America’s (GANA) Fall Conference will take place in Dallas. In addition to the technical meetings, the conference will include a number of presentations on timely industry topics (Click Here for the full schedule: http://www.glasswebsite.com/events/fallconference/default.asp). While the meeting days are long, there’s a lot to see and do in Dallas—and a good bit of glass at that.

For one, the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center boasts an impressive display of overhead glazing. Naturalite manufactured and installed the skylight, which was featured on the July 2004 cover of USGlass magazine. Memphis, Tenn.-based Knedak Bobo Group served as the project architect. Gaylord Hotels wanted the resort to feature a signature glass dome, similar to the one found in the Opryland Hotel (also manufactured by Naturalite). For the job the company created a custom BMS 3000 skylight for the atrium that features a large, gold star at the top of the cupola skylight, centered in the main atrium skylight. More than 140,000 square feet of skylights was used for the total project. Typical slope glazing used ½-inch laminated glass, while vertical glazing used 1-inch insulating glass.

And if you’re more of a football fan you might be interested in the construction of the new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys (http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/), which has a projected completion date of June 2009. Dallas-based contract glazier Haley-Greer is doing the glass installation. When I talked to Letitia Barker, the company’s president, earlier this year, she was very excited about the project.

“The stadium will have one of the largest inverted-slope glazed curtainwalls in the world, and the end-zone doors are going to be the largest operable glass doors ever produced.”

Here are some other glazing details from the stadium’s design statement:

“The sweeping canted, 800-foot glass walls span the entire length of the stadium ... In contrast, the concave forms at the end zones, which serve as monumental entry areas, receive fans experiencing the building through 120-foot high and 180-foot wide retractable glass doors …the retractable roof panels travel over 400 feet along the length of the arches to rest in the open position. Simultaneously, the glass end zone walls open on each end of the stadium to transform the experience of the indoor stadium to that of an outdoor venue … Colors for the static elements of the stadium – concrete, glass, and steel – reflect the color of the materials used … clear application glass is used in order to enhance one’s understanding of the structure. The canted glass sideline walls are clear and incorporate a high tech white ceramic frit that allows a luminescent quality during both day and night.”

Whether or not you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, the new stadium is going to offer tremendous glazing displays. You can see more of the stadium in the video below.