Great Glazing: Edmonton International Airport

The basics: An elevated glass walkway serves as a showcase design feature of the new international terminal at Edmonton International Airport in Alberta, Canada. The design team wanted specific blue-colored glass floor panels along the walkway that would provide a modern look while still maintaining the privacy of travelers walking on it. To be successful in a busy airport, the glass floor panels also needed to be strong enough to safely handle the weight of an airport passenger vehicle. The flooring panels can handle a 3,800-pound load, and provide an updated and sophisticated look to the airport terminal.

The players: Architect, Barr Ryder Architects; general contractor, PCL Constructors Inc.; glass supplier, Jockimo, Inc.; glazier, Specialty Glazing Systems, Inc.

The glass and systems: To meet the design and safety specifications for the airport, Jockimo engineered the ½-inch low-iron, laminated, tempered glass to be five layers thick. The installation includes 32 panels of 48-inch by 60-inch glass. The panels are 2 ½ inches thick, meeting the weight requirements and ASTM E2752, the Standard Practice for Design and Performance of Glass Walkways. Jockimo chose its Ultimate Privacy glass system with its custom Rainfall glass texture and blue interlayer to allow light to pass through the panels while protecting travelers’ privacy and meeting the design team’s color specifications.