Trainor Glass Company completed the first cable-net structural glass system done in the United States at One North Wacker in Chicago, Illinois.
Articles
Glass Magazine
One North Wacker: Raising the Architectural Bar (August 2002)
The Glass Guide
One North Wacker: Anatomy of a Glass Building (2002)
Building Design & Construction
Glass and Steel Unite (April 2002)
Structural Glass Walls
Trainor Glass can go beyond your traditional storefront and curtain wall systems. We continue to venture into innovative glass applications such as point-supported walls, cable wall systems, and structural glass walls. These types of projects require the focused project management, installation expertise, and engineering support that only Trainor Glass can offer.
CABLE WALL SYSTEMS
Cable systems are a single-surface structure comprised of cables arrayed in either a two-way grid or stretched vertically across an opening in a manner that achieves its integrity to resist applied loads through the pre-tensioning of the cable elements. Clamps or nodes are attached to the stainless steel strands to support the glass. The building structure must be designed to accommodate the substantial cable wall reaction loads as well as stiffness requirements. Cable walls are typically flat panels but can be curved into custom surfaces. The visual effect is dramatic and the design message is one of technological excellence and aesthetic minimalism.
STRUCTURAL GLASS WALLS
Structural glass walls use full-height or cantilevered glass fins instead of conventional metal mullions to brace the system and transfer wind load and seismic forces. A custom manufactured stainless steel spider fitting or splice plate is used to join the face glass with the vertical glass fins. This provides for great transparency and an unobstructed view.