777 Aviation, El Segundo, Calif.
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Los Angeles
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: W.L. Butler, Los Angeles
GLASS SUPPLIER: Triview Glass, City of Industry, Calif.
GLAZING INSTALLERS: Glazing Concepts, Corona, Calif., and Electrolurgy Manufacturing, Santa Ana, Calif.
Materials
SOM’s team leveraged the benefits of glass throughout the building to optimize daylight diffusion, thermal performance and aesthetics. The first floor façade and upper level balcony feature CRL- U.S. Aluminum’s Series 4500SG Structural Silicone Glazed Curtain Wall, which includes a pressure- bar-free design and is engineered without exposed exterior vertical mullions and joint fasteners. This produces uninterrupted horizontal glass spans that provide streamlined visuals and a seamless transition to the interior.
CRL-U.S. Aluminum’s Entice Entrance System also was installed. The system features ultra-narrow 1 1/8-inch vertical stiles and an overall system depth of 2 1/2 inches, producing an all-glass aesthetic. In addition, it can support handle hardware—including panic devices—on 1-inch insulating glass units using proprietary through-glass fittings.
Existing systems were grandfathered in, but the Series 4500SG Curtain Wall and Entice Entrance System were subjected to, and met, California Title 24’s thermal performance requirements.
Interior glass entrances include CRL-U.S. Aluminum DRS Door Rails with floating headers and low-profile sidelite channels that produce clean glass spans. The DRS Door Rails are paired with CRL-Blumcraft Panic Handles, which feature a slim tubular design. Custom 13/16-inch laminated glass was selected to allow taller glass spans and improve STC ratings. The glass walls feature a custom dot pattern frit while providing privacy and light diffusion.
The building’s interior also features CRL’s GRS TAPER-LOC Glass Guardrail System with corner top caps. The guardrail offers an ICC-ES-approved base shoe system and complies with 2015 IBC updates.
GLASS MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER: CRL-U.S. Aluminum
The Retrofit
Originally occupied by Xerox Corp., Modernist Architect Craig Ellwood developed the office building’s concept in 1968. To reflect the needs and culture of today’s workspaces, SOM was charged with repurposing 777 Aviation from a single-tenant to a multi-tenant space with indoor and outdoor collaborative environments. A café, gym, bike-rental space and dog park were part of the updates.
PHOTOS: CRL-U.S. Aluminum