Glass & Glazing

A rendering showcases the single-layer trapezoidal geometry of the dome (top). The enclosed dome opens up the casino’s pool area to the sky (above middle). Novum’s KK-System makes up the 3D ribs for the structure (above).

Edge-clamp glass system and other technologies lighten up a casino’s glass dome
Working with architectural structure and cladding specialists Novum Structures was a safe bet for the architects of an extension to Harrah’s Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Novum, a full-service specialty contractor with almost 1,300 projects under its belt in the U.S. alone, worked with project architects Friedmutter Group to engineer and design a dome above a pool area that would be as transparent and economical as possible, while working within a tight time frame. Located on the New Jersey coast, the casino’s dome needed to meet codes for both hurricane-force winds and heavy snow loads. “I don’t remember having to look at both in the same project before,” says Novum president Ian Collins.

The resulting design is a 208'-wide and 50'-high dome that is nearly seamless to the sky above. Normally, such a large span would require a double-layer support structure with a heavy glass skylight system superimposed over the top. To avoid this situation, Novum used the glass structurally and utilized its BK-System of structural components which gives single-layer capability. The system was used along with Novum’s KK-System, which makes up the eight ribs that support the trapezoidal glass system. The choice of trapezoidal rather than triangular glass helped the team keep the cost of the project down. Novum’s ECG-System (edge-clamp glass) holds the glass at its edges with a minimum of clamping devices. Each glass panel was then sealed to adjoining panels with silicone caulk over a 3¼'' joint. “Most domes can really thrust outward when they are loaded, or you can contain that thrust within the dome itself, and that’s what we did,” says Collins. “The whole dome is basically supported at eight locations, which is quite something.”

Novum’s three main facilities collaborated together on the dome: It was engineered in Germany, fabricated and project-managed in Wisconsin, and a China facility provided the glazing system and some of the connectors. Harrah’s opened the pool area Memorial Day weekend—15 months from conception to completion. The fast schedule, desired by the casino client, was only possible due to the close collaboration between all of the design partners, says Collins. “To do something that big in 15 months, you need to have a lot of cooperation.” Novum Structures, Menomonee Falls, Wis. www.novumstructures.com

[Reader Service: August 2007 #223]

Custom glass blocks clad memorial
Schott supplied the 15,600 glass blocks for the memorial that opened last March in Madrid (below) to pay tribute to the victims of the 2004 train bombings, the worst terrorist attack in Spain’s history. Designed by Estudio FAM and made of borosilicate glass, the blocks were manufactured with curved ends, convex on one side, concave on the other (below right). This made it possible to bond them together in circular rows of blocks to create the monument’s cylindrical shape. The tempered float glass on the monument’s roof was also supplied by Schott. Schott N.A., Elmsford, N.Y. www.us.schott.com

[Reader Service: August 2007 #224]