BUILDING SKIN
E-NEWSLETTER | FALL 2013
James Steinkamp Photography
DESIGN FOR THE CUBE GIVES MALL A BEAUTIFUL AND CUSTOMIZABLE NEW AMENITY

Keeping up with - and ahead of - current retail trends, customer expectations and tenant needs is critical to the success of the Old Orchard Mall, a Chicago-area shopping destination that first opened in 1959. In 2012, mall owner Westfield Group approached Thornton Tomasetti with a novel concept: to develop a glass building that could be used for short-term exhibitions, promotional parties, concerts and other events. Westfield's aesthetic vision called for the building to be virtually transparent, while the range of uses required the space to be completely flexible. Our building skin designers and structural engineers partnered with MEP engineer Syska Hennessy Group and architect JGMA to develop the concept and design the building. The result? The Cube.

To preserve the transparency of the pavilion, the structure is supported on just four steel columns, one inset in each corner. A series of large doors on the north and south faades pivot to open the space to the outdoors. The east and west walls consist of oversized low-iron glass panels that are supported by structural glass fins joined to the panels by structural silicone. Stainless steel plates embedded into the fins at roof level support the roof glass and transfer the faade loads to the main structure. 

This minimalist system is nearly invisible and ideal for the display of merchandise or exhibits. The interior has no fixed furnishings or floor finishes, and includes moveable lights and strategically placed power locations to provide total flexibility in programming.

The Cube is a beautiful, multifunctional space designed to appeal to the mall's tenants and shoppers. If it proves to be popular, our design could serve as the prototype for similar spaces at Westfield's malls across the country.

Contact: Edward Peck

 WHAT'S NEW
Ko� Contemporary Art Museum, courtesy Grimshaw.

 
Upcoming Speaking Engagements 
Join us in Chicago on October 24-25 at the Fa�ades+ Performance conference. Presenters will include a number of Thornton Tomasetti's staff, including the Building Skin practice's own Mark Dannettel
  
Edward Peck will discuss "Innovative Skin Systems" at ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX) on November 20.

Recent Speaking Engagements 
In July, Mark and Edward presented at
Facades+ Performance in San Francisco

In September, Silverio Patrizi presented "Sustainable Structures and Facades: Embodied Energy and Thermal Analysis" at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

New Building Skin Team Members
The practice welcomes four new colleagues: Associates Claudia Farabegoli and Jose Montes; Senior Project Director Zachary Wiegand; and
Fa�ade Engineer Aikaterini Doulkari.
NOTABLE PROJECT WINS
Imperial West Campus, courtesy wadsworth 3d and PLP Architecture.

 

Ko� Contemporary Art Museum, Istanbul

Architect Grimshaw
Fa�ade consulting for a cultural facility (above, left) that will feature custom ceramic and mosaic tile cladding, a reference to traditional Ottoman architecture. More Info
  
Imperial College London, Imperial West Campus, Block D, London  
Architect: PLP Architecture

Faade consulting for a building (above, right) on a new technology campus. The faades are being designed to flexible criteria to accommodate current research and office space as well as other possible uses in the future. More Info

China Construction Bank Headquarters, Shenzhen
Architect: Morphosis
We are assisting the architect with the development of a high-rise facade. Thornton Tomasetti is also providing structural design.
E-NEWSLETTER | FALL 2013
  

Thornton Tomasetti provides engineering, design, investigation and analysis services to clients worldwide on projects of every size and level of complexity. Our integrated practices can address the full life cycle of any structure. Founded in 1956, today Thornton Tomasetti is a 750-person organization of engineers, architects and other professionals collaborating from offices across the United States and in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.


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