Renzo Piano Building Workshop

STAINLESS-STEEL AND CARBON FIBER GLAZED

FACADE

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One of the most ambitious, complex and thrilling projects that Capoferri helped develop; this private Residence in Colorado, designed by Renzo Piano, is truly stunning and breathtaking. The main challenge consisted in creating a glazed, stainless steel façade with mullion dimensions reduced to a minimum (1”x4”), in a location where thermal transfer is extreme and the local authorities do not permit the use of inert gas in insulated glass units. Furthermore, the type of structure adopted for the building required the façade to allow the cantilevered rafters to independently deflect under snow loads. The minimal dimensions of the façade profiles imposed the use of full visible hardware, which was turned into a feature, carefully designed in close collaboration with the architect’s team. Every fastening screw was subject to discussion in order to make sure it would have a raison d’être not only technically, but also aesthetically. Handles were custom designed with the help of Capoferri’s in-house 3D design and print technology. Particular mention is to be made of the technology developed to allow for a thermally broken system on a façade with minimal profile dimensions subject to significant wind and potential live loads, resulting in the use composite material containing carbon fiber to stiffen the profile. Due to the tight construction schedule no field dimensions could be taken prior to production and all partitions had to be built as per drawings. In a project where the architects explicitly “tried to make the world line up”, this meant utmost precision and meticulous care during installation to guarantee that flooring, rafters, finishes and façade would indeed line up perfectly. The April 2014 Architectural Record Edition of “Record Houses” states that one is “linked to the outside world through a sequence of planes that begins with the façade – a sublime Italian custom stainless-steel window system that forms the walls.”