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Distinctive Channel Glass Wall Captures Natural Light, Invites Guests into Scottsdale Luxury Hotel
Getting enough sunlight is usually not an issue in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. With an average of 325 days of sunshine per year, and temperatures that regularly soar above 100° F, Scottsdale, Arizona, is one of the world’s premier destinations for people seeking sun and relaxation within a backdrop of luxury.
To lavishly accommodate guests, Starwood Hotels & Resorts has opened its first W Hotel in Arizona. Located in the heart of the downtown Scottsdale entertainment district, the Scottsdale W Hotel and Residences stands seven stories tall and offers a spa, a restaurant, bars and luxury condominiums. Distinctive design elements are incorporated throughout, including a number of water features and an under-water porte cochere that creates a dramatic entrance.
For the project, Hornberger + Worstell Architects (San Francisco, CA) were tasked with creating a state-of-the-art hotel living room for which W Hotels are known world-wide. A traditional W Hotel living room is the center of activity containing the hotel front desk, lounge, seating areas, bar and restaurant. A design challenge that faced the project architect was creating a space that flowed well from the captivating porte cochere entry and incorporates natural light into the hotel living room, while keeping out the Arizona heat and outside distractions.
“We wanted to find a contemporary looking translucent material without a metal frame to create a pattern of glazing and diffuse the light in interesting and changeable ways throughout the day and night,” says Christian Low, principal and senior vice president of Hornberger + Worstell Architects. “We also wanted some transparency, but not a clear fish bowl glass effect, because we were trying to visually invite the guests into the hotel lobby living room, yet also screen the cars and activities outside in the porte cochere.”
To make this design vision a reality, Hornberger + Worstell chose Pilkington Profilit™ channel glass to create an approximately 100-foot long, curved glass wall, approximately 10-feet high continuing the length of the lobby. The long expanse of glass provides a panoramic view uninterrupted by framing with a seamless look from floor to ceiling.
The channel glass was installed in two overlapping layers, which creates an air pocket in-between that diffuses the light when it enters and also provides a thermal and acoustic gap. “The channel glass allows for natural daylighting, yet provides filtered and tempered light via the air space and the depth of the glass,” states Low. “At night, with the indirect lighting of the channel glass wall we anticipate a variety of color and the movement of people to create warmth and activation.”
Pilkington Profilit’s “U”-shaped, linear cast-glass channels are self-supporting and mounted in an extruded metal perimeter frame to provide a truly distinctive architectural feature. The glass is available in a variety of colors and textures with varying translucency, allowing for the passage of natural light without loss of privacy. This versatile product can be installed vertically or horizontally and is available in lengths up to 23 feet, with either tempering or filming options available to meet impact safety requirements.
Because of the shape of the glazing system, it can achieve very tight radiuses or can be used in serpentine applications. Intermediate vertical mullions are generally not required for vertical installations. Additional benefits include adaptability to seismic code requirements.
“We selected Pilkington Profilit channel glass for both aesthetics and sustainable design,” states Low. “The W Scottsdale project is required by building code to meet a very high level of energy efficiency – to deal with the extreme high and low temperatures of the desert. The channel glass definitely helps with that.”
Project Summary
Project: W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences, Scottsdale, Arizona
Architect: Hornberger + Worstell, San Francisco, California
Developer/Owner: Triyar Hospitality, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona
Channel Glass Glazing Contractor: Romanowski Glass, Phoenix, Arizona
Channel Glass Supplier: Technical Glass Products, Snoqualmie, Washington
Completion: Autumn 2008
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