Fire-rated glass lets light in at Art Institute of Chicago

The basics: In May, the Art Institute of Chicago opened its Modern Wing, a three-story addition enclosed in double-layered curtain wall that allows natural light into the galleries and offers views of the Chicago Skyline and Millennium Park. To maximize views and light, the interior walls needed to be transparent and meet fire and life safety codes. Architects chose fire-rated glass and framing systems to meet the demands.

The players: Architect, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Paris; architect of record, Interactive Design Inc., Chicago; glass and system supplier, Technical Glass Products, Snoqualmie, Wash.; contract glazier, Harmon Inc., Minneapolis; engineer of record, Ove Arup & Partners, New York; general contractor, Turner Construction, New York.

The glass and systems: Pilkington Pyrostop transparent wall panels and Fireframes Aluminum Series fire-rated frames from TGP.