Great Glazing: GSA Federal Office Building #8

The basics: The U.S. General Services Administration's Federal Office Building #8 in Washington, D.C., underwent a major modernization that included installation of a new curtain wall. The blast-mitigating curtain wall was designed to enhance the façade with contemporary aesthetics and high-performance functionality, while providing occupants with expansive views and plentiful access to natural light, according to a Wausau Window and Wall Systems release.

The building, expected to achieve LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, maximizes daylighting strategies. The exterior renovations entailed replacing a large portion of the existing limestone façade with vast expanses of glazing; additions and expansions included a glass entrance pavilion at the building's north side, projected window bays on the south façade, and two new atria.

The players: Architect, Boggs & Partners; general contractor, Turner Construction Co.; consultant, Heitmann & Associates Inc.; blast consultant, Hinman Consulting Engineers, Inc.; glazing contractor, Tidewater Glazing Inc.; glazing system manufacturer, Wausau Window and Wall Systems; glass fabricator: Viracon Inc.; glazing system finisher, Linetec.

The glass and systems: About 60,000 square feet of high-performance glazing, including a custom-engineered and fabricated Blast Hazard Mitigation Series four-sided, unitized curtain wall, and point-supported glass wing walls and atrium curtain-wall systems. The aluminum frames were finished in Champagne Gold, a three-coat 70 percent polyvinylidene fluoride metallic paint, custom-blended at Linetec's in-house laboratory. The glass on the building is VNE-63 high-performance glass, specified to reduce solar heat gain.