Westfield Old Orchard Glass Cube
The upscale, open-air Westfield Old Orchard Mall is the third largest mall in Illinois and a prime destination for local exhibitions and parties.
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Project Details
ENR Midwest, Best Projects for Small Projects, 2014
A High-Performing, Nearly Invisible, Structural System
The upscale, open-air Westfield Old Orchard Mall is the third largest mall in Illinois and a prime destination for local exhibitions and parties. To help elevate the mall’s shopping experience and provide an innovative multifunction space for events, the mall introduced a freestanding glass cube structure that can be used for everything from retail announcements and product launches to local meetings and concerts.
We provided structural design and façade engineering services to JGMA for this 1,300-square-foot glass pavilion, highlighted by a nearly invisible structural system. The cube was opened in 2013.
Westfield Old Orchard Glass Cube in Skokie, Illinois.
Thornton Tomasetti
Highlights
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To preserve the transparency of the pavilion, the structure is supported on just four steel columns, one in each corner.
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A series of large doors on the north and south façades pivot to open the space to the outdoors.
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The east and west walls consist of oversized anti-reflective glass panels supported by structural glass fins joined to the panels by structural silicone.
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Stainless steel plates embedded into the fins at the roof support the roof glass and transfer the façade loads to the main structure.
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The minimalist system’s interior has no fixed furnishings or floor finishes and includes movable lights and strategically placed power sources to allow flexibility in programming.
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Two operable walls transition the cube into an open, naturally ventilated structure during warmer months to function as a band shell and afford seasonal exhibition space.