Channel glass at the W Hotel in Scottsdale

“We wanted to find a contemporary looking translucent material without a metal frame to create a pattern of glazing and diffuse the light in interesting and changeable ways throughout the day and night. We also wanted some transparency, but not a clear fish bowl glass effect.”— Christian Low, principal and senior vice president, Hornberger + Worstell Architects.

The basics: The W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences, Scottsdale, Ariz., features a 100-foot long, curved glass wall of channel glass that runs the length of the lobby. The long expanse of glass provides a panoramic view uninterrupted by framing, with a seamless look from floor to ceiling. The channel glass, installed in two overlapping layers, also offers diffused natural daylighting, and a thermal and acoustic gap.

The players: Architect, Hornberger + Worstell, San Francisco; developer and owner, Triyar Hospitality LLC, Phoenix; glazing contractor, Romanowski Glass, Phoenix; channel glass supplier, Technical Glass Products, Snoqualmie, Wash.

The glass and systems: Pilkington Profilit’s U-shaped, linear cast-glass channels, self-supporting and mounted in an extruded metal perimeter frame.