Glass Facades Echo nominated for Glass Award 2023

Seemingly simple but full of technical ingenuity and bespoke detailing. The glass façade of Echo has been nominated for the Dutch Glass Award 2023.

Large glass panels spanning floor-to-ceiling (the largest is 2.6 by 5 m and more than 5 cm thick, one glass panel can weigh up to 1200 kg), most of them are only top and bottom supported. Floors that are allowed to deform 40 mm. And transparent all-glass corners. The challenging technical frameworks combined with maximum transparency required smart use of the qualities of glass and bespoke technical solutions.

Bespoke thermal aluminium U-profiles and rubbers keep the glass panels in place. Both are designed to accommodate the high compressive forces and the large deformations of the floors without the main structure resting on the glass. The middle storey being higher than the other two, minimal glass fins hold the large panels in place. A striking feature is a double-height façade at the entrance level, with sharp-edged steel tubes supporting the glass.

Echo – designed by UNStudio – is the newest education building on the TU Delft campus, meeting TU Delft's progressive sustainability ambitions. It is the first energy-producing building on the TU Campus.

The Glass Award is a prize for progressive and high-profile initiatives and projects in the field of flat glass. The final is on February 9th 2023. 

Technische Universiteit Delft | UNStudio | BAM Bouw en Techniek |