A highly glazed apartment building in the heart of the developing Middle East
This highly glazed apartment building was designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron using five principles to define the build: layers & terraces, inside and outside, vegetation, views and privacy, light and identity. The architects wanted to focus on quality materials that enhanced the flexible style of living that is encompassed in the skyscraper building.
The multi-use building contains office space, retail stores and restaurants as well as residential apartments, making it a mixed use skyscraper as well as a multi layered residential unit. The highly glazed apartment building follows an indoor-outdoor style of living, incorporating natural elements and lots of glass to make the most of the surrounding city views. The generous terraces were designed with entire walls of moving glass to merge the indoor and outdoor space, creating large indoor-outdoor living spaces.
When specifying glazing for a highly glazed apartment building it is imperative that performance and durability are taken into consideration, as much of the 119 metre tall building would be difficult to access if any replacement units or repairs were needed. For this reason the highest quality slim framed sliding glass doors were specified, the minimal windows® sliding door system.
This sliding glass door can reach staggering sizes, stretching floor to ceiling, without compromising on minimal design and modern performance values. The sliding doors have sightlines of just 21mm, granting uninterrupted views of the city and allowing floods of natural light into the apartments during the day. The highly glazed apartment building also capitalises on solar gain, controlling the level of UV rays that get through the glazing and combatting solar glare for comfortable internal living environments.
The new skyscraper is part of a wider plan to rebuild and rehabilitate the city of Beirut and although the sheer size of the building is impressive, it does not lend itself to ‘standard’ commercial architecture. The design includes an expansive water feature on the ground floor, complimenting the green boulevard that continues vertically both inside and outside the building to incorporate some biophilic design elements. The vegetation included in the design provides a level of shading to the oversized glazing, preventing the highly glazed apartment building from overheating.
Although the luxury apartment building is used as a commercial space as well as a residential unit, the light and airy atmosphere is consistent across all parts of the building thanks to the slim framed sliding doors and fixed architectural glazing, which uses the same slim aluminium profiles for a coherent design.
Beirut Terraces is an elegant, modern execution of what can be achieved with clever architecture and high performing glazing systems. The skyscraper building stretches tall, overlooking the city and making an impact on the overall city aesthetic with a clean and crisp white aesthetic.
If you are working on a highly glazed apartment building that could benefit from bespoke architectural glazing solutions…