Clear, Flat and White: High Façade Design in the Age of Uncertainty
Presented by Steven Pantazis, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, High Rise and Technical Design Leader, RATIO
Opening Fall of ’26, the 143,500-square-foot center expansion, including a new 800-room Signia by Hilton, the tallest hotel tower in Indianapolis and the first to be built there in more than 15 years, atop a 50,000-sq.-ft. ballroom to create an unrivaled convention package. The new property stands 38 stories
tall topped by a sky lounge bar with skyline views on a podium set into the urban fabric with a sensitivity belying its sectional complexity.
From the outset, the Design Team established several criteria for the structural-glazed unitized curtain wall design including minimizing glass distortion such as roller wave and pillowing. Consisting of an alternating pattern of white and clear glass, it was important for the glass to be low-iron to limit the green hue in the vision panels but especially the opaque white panels to keep them looking as white as possible. The system design includes the fabricator’s standardized system as well as bent glass on the corners and a creased façade with the system canting out of vertical in opposite directions on either side of the crease. We will walk through the visual and technical design considerations and ultimately the final glass makeup driven by performance and aesthetics prioritizing minimizing glass distortion. The presentation will include working with and deviating from the fabricator’s standardized system, leveraging the visual mock-up for glass selection and the performance mock-up which included an expanded scope to incorporate deviations from the standardized system and the façade lighting feature. Laboratory and in-situ testing procedures will be presented including air and water infiltration and deflection limits. Lastly, we will
discuss the challenges of obtaining a high-quality glazed curtain wall system in an environment beset by the challenges of financing and supply chain uncertainty to provide the Owner with a striking modern addition to the existing convention center.
Learning Objectives:
About the presenter:
Steven Pantazis is the Technical Design and High Rise Leader for RATIO. His projects have been built in
South Korea, Dubai and Russia. Since 2004 his first high rise projects in Chicago’s Lakeshore East set his professional trajectory specializing in the humanistic integration of large, complex, multipurpose
developments into the urban fabric with an emphasis on sustainability and human scale. Steve is a member of the AIA, Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Urban Land Institute and the Chicago
Committee for High Rise Buildings.
This meeting will take place at:
RATIO
30 W Monroe Street Suite 500,
Chicago, IL 60603
Do you have a program you would like to share with the committee, please feel free to reach out to our program coordinator at jose.estrada@clarkdietrich.com
