Calgary, Alberta
DESIGN TEAM:
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
In spite of the cold climate, the 27-story, 564,000-sq.-ft. building met its energy targets, due in part, to the use of a triple-glazed, curtainwall system. The project is designed to achieve leed Gold certification through the Canadian Green Building Council.
Architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) designed the iconic, energy-efficient structure, which features a façade that combines convex and concave forms to shape elliptical and undulating elevations. The floor-to-ceiling glass maximizes internal daylighting and comfort, minimizes unwanted solar heat gain and heat loss, and provides panoramic views of the city and the Rocky Mountains.
The curtainwall relies on Tianjin North Glass’ (tng) state-of-the-art, bent, triple-pane insulated glazing units (IGUs) with two low-E coatings from G-Crystal Glass Group. Technoform’s tgi Spacer m, a bendable, yet durable, warm edge spacer separates the three panes of glass, creating an insulating barrier at the perimeter of the igu to improve thermal performance. This combination of high-performance components allows the igus to meet the project’s high thermal performance requirements and achieve the overall energy-saving, sustainability goals.
The thermal performance requirements of 707 Fifth included stringent whole unit u-factors of 0.91 W/m²K (0.16 hr/ft²F), according to Dirk Schulte, formerly with tng.
Reiterating the key aesthetic goals for the 707 Fifth, the façade had a geometry of both concave and convex radius glazing, as well as the east and west elevations’ inverted slope from ground level to the top of the building. All flat and curved glass had to match in color and performance as per the design specifications.
