Most innovative curtain-wall project

From the moment you approach Two Alliance Center, your eyes are drawn skyward along the sensuously curved sweep. Trainor Glass Co., Alsip, Ill., completed the structure, a 30-story office building in Atlanta’s prestigious Buckhead submarket, in July 2009.

The building consists of more than 4,500 fully unitized, structural silicone glazed curtain-wall panels with continuous exterior vertical fins, as well as full-height, curved aluminum light wells. It features high-performance insulating and laminated glass from Viracon, Owatonna, Minn.; formed metal panels by Architectural Systems Inc., Monett, Mo.; structural silicone sealant by Dow Corning, Midland, Mich.; and visually stunning elements, including highefficiency, floor-to-ceiling windows that present dramatic skyline views.

“The most unique aspect of the Two Alliance Center project is the feature area of the unitized curtain wall, which was designed to create a stunning three-dimensional sweeping arc,” says Dennis Welch, vice president, Georgia division manager, Trainor Glass. “Within this spectacular architectural feature is an integrated, plant-installed LED lighting system that vertically bisects the building, culminating in the dramatic roof feature which projects 80 feet above the roofline.”

The design, manufacture and installation of the feature wall area of the unitized curtain wall presented the most significant challenge due to the requirement to provide this area as a fully unitized, factory glazed wall system, Welch says. “This generated approximately 600 unique unitized curtain-wall panels containing over 1,300 unique pieces of pattern glass composed of five differing glass types. Many of the main tower panels measured between 14 feet to 16 feet wide and 14 feet tall. Twenty of the roof feature panels were a whopping 10 feet wide by 32 feet tall, weighing in at over 4,000 pounds each.”

Architectural firm Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, Atlanta, designed the building; The Beck Group, headquartered in Dallas, was the general contractor.

“If there’s one thing that stands out for me about this project, it’s the collaboration we had with the architect, general contractor and glazing contractor,” said Mike Winkler, sales representative, Architectural Sales, Viracon. “We really worked hard to make sure that we were all on the same page, which was critical for us to meet their budget numbers and delivery schedules.”

“The Two Alliance Center by Trainor Glass Co. is a must-see when GlassBuild America is in Atlanta,” says Crystal Achievement Award Judge Charlotte Broussard, owner and CEO, Universal Window and Door LLC, Marlborough, Mass. “This landmark project demonstrates an engineering and architectural feat combined with a magnificent design.”