It’s hard to miss the dynamic red metal and glassy façade of the Hotel Porta Fira Barcelona, designed collaboratively by architectural firms Toyo Ito AA and b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos. The hotel also received the 2010 Emporis Skyscraper Award 2010, which is presented annually to building at least 100 meters tall completed within the award [...]

Take a look at Iceland’s new Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center located in Reykjavík and at first glance the façade may appear blue; look again and it’s red, perhaps green or even yellow. The glittering, shimmering building features an intricate glass and steel façade, which was designed to refract and reflect light—possible thanks to [...]

For years just the word “opera house” was likely to conjure up images of Sydney’s famous architectural structure, with its sweeping peaks and pearly façade. Now, a newly constructed venue, featuring glass as a significant design detail, may also stake its claim as an architectural opera house gem. Spanning 70,000 square meters and costing approximately [...]

Glass will be a defining element in what PNC Financial Services Group Inc. has dubbed “the world’s most environmentally friendly skyscraper.” Earlier this year the Pittsburgh-based company announced plans to construct the Tower at PNC Plaza, which will be its new headquarters. It will be located on the Southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Wood [...]

While new construction may be down, renovation projects can provide an ideal opportunity to give an existing building a new look with glass. As an example, 1 McKinney Plaza in Dallas was a 24-year-old mixed-use space that had been less than 80 percent leased. Building owners Gaedeke Group decided to market the space to new [...]

Glazing played a significant role in the renovation and expansion of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. It was in 1991 that the National World War II Museum Foundations was created; on June 6, 2000, the 56th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, the National D-Day Museum opened and just two years later, [...]

Hollywood is one city with an “anything goes” kind of attitude. So while the construction of a red glass building might be out of place anywhere else, in Hollywood it fits right in. The “Red Building,” in West Hollywood, to be exact, completes the Pacific Design Center (PDC) campus, joining the Blue and Green buildings—also [...]

The glass and glazing industry was well represented during the AIA National Convention, which took place last week in New Orleans. Exhibitors were showcasing a range of new products, many of which were developed in response to architectural trends companies are seeing. Several companies spoke to the Architects’ Guide to Glass & Metal about their [...]

Western Illinois University (WIU) will soon be home to a new performing arts center designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Construction for the new 126,000-square-foot building is expected to begin in 2012 and last approximately 30 months. The Performing Arts Center will comprise two brick-clad wings connected by a two-story, glass-walled gallery. “We are excited [...]

The AJ Celebrezze Federal Building in Cleveland, built in the mid-1960s, is undergoing a transformation that includes a double-skin technology designed to create a more energy-efficient structure. Interactive Design Inc. (IDEA), led by partner Charles Young, was chosen as the project architect. IDEA’s design plans will utilize a glass double-wall technology it says has never [...]