On Thursday, December 5th, the first 23-foot window was installed on the west side of the building. Metal grilles secure the new pieces of glass next to the precast cement frame with geometrical precision. Some of the smaller windows on the upper level have also been installed as single solid pieces. The glass is so new and clear you can hardly tell it’s there!
Spandrel glass will be used on the upper level of the west side of the building where Special Collections and Archives will be housed. In contrast with vision glass, or glass you can see through, spandrel glass has an opaque treatment that conceals structural or mechanical building components, essentially hiding them from the outside view. It is often used on commercial buildings to have a consistent appearance from the exterior and allows for greater flexibility of planning the structure, slabs, vents, wires, and interior spaces. From the exterior of the building, the spandrel glass section will look very similar to the other large windows with the tone of the glazes matching, reflecting the warming winter sunrays. From the interior of the building, the view of the spandrel glass is obscured by the opaque treatment that will keep the climate-controlled environment ideal for the photographs, books, and other materials stored in the “vault” of the Special Collections and Archives. From the outside, you won’t be able to tell that the inside houses something so unique. From the inside, the sun’s potentially damaging rays won’t penetrate the protected space of the vault.
Skylights will be over both the north and south sets of stairs to bring light into the space from above. The quarter-turn stairs will serve as columns of light to the open floorplans below.
