W&W Glass announced 24 February 2004 the results of a series of recent independent laboratory tests made for the Pier 79 West Midtown Ferry Terminal Project in Manhattan, New York, to determine the st…
W&W Glass announced 24 February 2004 the results of a series of recent independent laboratory tests made for the Pier 79 West Midtown Ferry Terminal Project in Manhattan, New York, to determine the structural durability of the Pilkington Planar Structural Glass System at high loads. Using Architectural Testing Inc., in York, Pennsylvania as their test site, W&W Glass Systems erected a 40 foot (12.192 meters) wide by 33 foot (10.0584 meters) high sample structure containing six vertical rows (each containing eight facade lites), five vertical fins rows (each with three fins high), and six roof units. The system was then tested for weather resistance, structural performance at design loading, seismic resistance, and structural redundancy. The Planar System passed each of the tests, including a rigorous overload test that utilized a pressurized chamber to apply a series of loads to the glass in excess of +/-150% of design load (60 psf). No permanent deflections were observed, and the glass remained perfectly intact throughout the test. The consultants for the project, Gordon H. Smith Corp., required an unprecedented system redundancy test to demonstrate the integrity of a fin-supported glass wall with a broken structural mullion. For this procedure, the chamber was pressurized to +40psf (full design load) and a center fin was deliberately broken. “We“re very pleased with the results of the redundancy test,” said Howard Haber, W&W Glass spokesman. “Other than the manually broken fin, no glass from the facade or other fins evacuated the wall and the system stayed perfectly intact. The results of this test show the true potential and ultimate safety of fin supported glass facades using the Pilkington Planar System.” Construction on the Pilkington Planar System at the West Midtown Ferry Terminal, designed by William Nicholas Bodouva & Associates, will begin in spring 2004 as part of a citywide ferry renovation program that includes redesigning the Staten Island Ferry“s Whitehall and St. George terminals. New floating terminals at Battery Park City, and a new Port Imperial Intermodal Ferry Terminal on the Hudson River in Weehawken, N.J., will also be developed. W&W Glass Systems is involved with the glazing on three of the five projects. W&W Glass Systems, Inc., is a family owned business with a 70-year history in the glass and metal industry. The company, based in Nanuet, New York, is metropolitan New York“s largest glazing contractor and the country“s largest distributor of structural glass. Founded in 1826, Pilkington is one of the world“s largest manufacturers of glass and glazing products. The UK-based company spends over sixty million dollars every year on research and development to both assure the quality standards of their existing products and to create new and innovative technology.