Curtainwall Encases Auto Showroom

A square, metal-clad terminal prototype design uses a Tubelite curtainwall to set apart a suburban-Chicago Audi dealership. Photo credit: Leopardo Companies

Developed as a modular system, the facility’s structural and spatial concept is fl exible and scalable and features a customer-service center. Photo credit: Leopardo Companies

Aluminum-and-glass front is an integral part of a new modular system for Audi dealerships.

The Audi Hoffman Estates facility, Hoffman Estates, IL, showcases Walker, MI-based Tubelite’s 400-series curtainwall, an exterior that refl ects the effi ciency, performance, luxury, and environmental themes of its vehicles. The $9 million, 47,000-sq.-ft. facility is one of the fi rst in the Midwest to feature a square, metal-clad terminal prototype design by Munich-based Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten.

In 1990, Audi Hoffman Estates became the first exclusive, stand-alone Audi dealership in the United States. In 2013, it also became one of the first dealerships in the U.S. to use Allmann Sattler Wappner’s design. The Dobbins Group’s Chicago-based architectural team helped the Illinois dealership move the prototype from concept to reality.

The design gives Audi a new identity throughout the world. It also increases dealers’ space to showcase a growing range of cars. Developed as a modular system, the facility’s structural and spatial concept is flexible and scalable.

The Hoffman Estates dealership features a 12-car showroom, service workshop, and customer-service center. “It’s a very unique look,” observed Brian Hall, Audi Hoffman Estates’ general manager.

Well suited to the precise design, scale, and metallic aesthetic of the Audi facility, Tubelite’s 400-series curtainwall is engineered for low- and mid-rise applications. Leopardo Companies Inc., Hoffman Estates, served as the project’s general contractor. Glazing contractor Northern Glass Inc., Elk Grove Village, IL, specified and installed the curtainwall system on time and within budget.

The curtainwall provides 2 1/2-in. sightlines and the strength of 8-in.-deep backmembers with an overall 10-in. system depth. Every other vertical was butt-glazed. Low-e insulating glass reduces solar heat gain in the summer and heat loss in winter, important in the Chicago climate. An exterior screw-applied pressure bar secures the glass.

The curtainwall’s durable framework provides exceptional structural performance, reducing the need for steel reinforcement. “Tubelite helped engineer the curtainwall, letting us know what size steel reinforcement was needed,” noted Eric Martinson, project manager with Northern Glass. “They also helped with some very difficult bends, located in the opposite top and bottom corners.”

The aluminum used to produce the curtainwall is extruded by Tubelite using EcoLuminum, a high-recycled-content aluminum billet with eco-friendly finishes. Enhancing the project’s environmental attributes, longevity, and metallic appearance, the aluminum framing was finished by Linetec, Wausau, WI, using clear anodizing that contains no volatile organic compounds.

Because anodizing is an integral part of the substrate, it delivers excellent wear and abrasion resistance with minimal maintenance, and meets or exceeds all AAMA 611 specifications. The eco-friendly etch process creates an aesthetically appealing frosty matte appearance that helps hide small imperfections, such as die lines, flow lines, minor corrosion, and scratches that may occur on the surface. “It’s got a lot of metal on the exterior for a very specific look,” added Hall. “Everyone seems to love it. … and as for customers, they are all very impressed.” CBP

DATA CACHE

Want more information? The resources below are linked in our digital magazine at cbpmagazine.com/digital/oct2014.

Circle 7 on the Reader Service Card.

Download information on Tubelite’s curtainwall.

Download specifi cations for the Series 400.

EDITORS’ CHOICE

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