Located in the heart of Cary, North Carolina, Downtown Cary Park has undergone a significant transformation with the addition of new buildings and facilities that enhance the community experience. Managed by the Town of Cary and designed in collaboration with renowned architecture firm Machado Silvetti and landscape architects OJB, the park has been a long-standing project to revitalize Cary’s downtown area. It now features state-of-the-art structures that blend modern design with a focus on sustainability and public engagement. The design team’s unified approach resulted in the architecture and landscape functioning as one integrated experience, seamlessly blending stunning architecture with surrounding natural beauty.

Positioned prominently along Academy Street, The Academy Pavilion stands as the entryway focal point, welcoming visitors into the park’s multi-dimensional landscape. Its sleek, modern architecture features curved metal beams and wood finishes, giving it a contemporary design and provides ample space for indoor/outdoor community events. The Pavilion acts as the functional focal point of the park that anchors the daily social life of Cary and houses Market 317. Sentech Architectural Systems engineered, manufactured and supplied expansive glass façades for the curving, serpent-like shape of the extensive Academy Pavilion. The main façade area is made up of 9 rows of curved glass panels and 2 rows of flat panels that soar 17-ft high, with all panels contain a low-e coating and designed for exceptional energy performance.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Downtown Cary Park is a transformational synthesis of urban design, landscape, architecture, and programming… 

The architecture of the pavilions [is] a cohesive ensemble connecting to vernacular traditions of construction
in North Carolina.”

 — Machado Silvetti, Project Architect

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nestled in a tranquil corner of Downtown Cary Park, The Gathering House is a premier, multi-purpose event venue perfectly suited for weddings and intimate gatherings. Designed to seamlessly blend indoor and outdoor environments, the space boasts 28 elegant French doors that open to the surrounding natural beauty. To elevate the architectural brilliance of the structure, Sentech engineered and supplied 24 custom clerestory windows strategically positioned along the building’s upper perimeter. These installations invite dappled natural light to filter through the lush tree canopy, casting a warm glow that highlights the exposed engineered lumber framing and striking cross-laminated timber roof. Completing the luminous, transparent aesthetic, Sentech also delivered two expansive structural glass transom windows to anchor the building’s end facades.

The architectural vision for Downtown Cary Park’s new buildings reflects the town’s commitment to community, sustainability, and inclusivity. These new additions have created a multifunctional destination for residents and visitors, contributing to Cary’s overall growth and appeal as a modern, family-friendly town.

Check out Sentech’s VetraSpan Clear Span System!

The completion of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation-David Rockefeller River Campus in 2019 marked a significant milestone for The Rockefeller University, providing its community of over 600 scientists with advanced research facilities designed to foster groundbreaking discoveries. The River Campus is one of the most technically ambitious academic buildings in the U.S. due to the feat of architectural and engineering ingenuity, a two-acre platform of laboratories and public space was constructed over an active highway along New York’s East River. Designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, the world-renowned biomedical research institution expanded its Manhattan campus not by acquiring more land, but by utilizing Rockefeller’s air rights over the 6-lane FDR Drive. The result is a breathtaking campus, a project that seamlessly blends state-of-the-art research facilities with stunning design and landscape architecture that follows a campus tradition of architectural distinction and blends seamlessly into the landscape of gardens covering two full levels of advanced laboratories below.

Designed by the acclaimed Rafael Viñoly Architects and built by Turner Construction, the expansion features a low-profile, two-story research building stretching three and a half city blocks. Topping this structure are two curvilinear glass pavilions housing offices and a cafeteria, and a separate conference center. Sentech was commissioned to define four new buildings’ aesthetics using uniquely curved structural glass façades. These curved pavilions utilized Sentech’s VetraSpan clear span system to achieve the architect’s vision of minimalist, highly transparent structures that could withstand the elements and meet stringent safety codes. Along with Sentech’s VetraSpan curved clear span glass facades, Sentech engineered and manufactured specialty structurally glazed mullion systems with 40” deep aluminum sunshades, 12’ tall slim profile sliding glass wall, all glass revolving doors, panic swing doors, a cantilevered glass guardrail system and glass elevator. Sentech’s comprehensive approach included design-assist, structural engineering, system design, and manufacturing of custom-engineered solutions ensured that the large, curved glass panels and minimalist fittings of the pavilions would be both beautiful and resilient. Daylight penetrates deep into the interior of the buildings and the aluminum sunshades enhance energy efficiency by reducing solar heat gain and controlling glare, significantly lowering air conditioning costs. These durable, lightweight exterior fixtures also protect interiors from UV damage, offer a modern design versatility, and improve occupant comfort by managing natural light.

The perimeter of the lab building’s roof is devoted to a Sentech engineered structural glass balustrade-protected pathway. These transparent structures provide community spaces with panoramic views, connecting the campus with the East River and the surrounding city.

The project presented a unique set of challenges, which included devising a solution on how best to utilize Rockefeller University’s air rights over the 6-lane FDR Drive to make the expansion possible. The project team landed on a solution that leveraged sophisticated structural engineering and for several weeks in the summer of 2016, erectors swung steel-framed modules, each weighing more than 500 tons, from a barge moored in the East River- one of the largest barge-mounted cranes on the East Coast. They were then set into place over FDR Drive. The elements, prefabricated at a New Jersey wharf, would form the bridge-like skeleton of what was to become a 160,000-sq.ft. laboratory expansion of Rockefeller University. This unique construction method allowed Turner to build above a busy highway with minimal disruption to city traffic.

The project has been widely praised, earning accolades such as the 2023 AIA National Architecture Award, a testament to the successful collaboration of all partners involved. Sentech Architectural Systems is honored to have played a pivotal role in this landmark project, demonstrating once again how innovative structural glass engineering can turn ambitious architectural concepts into reality.

Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects and installed by Sunrise Erectors, 66 Galen Street is a 224,000 square foot Class A building in Watertown, Massachusetts near Watertown Square. Adjacent to Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, 66 Galen Street is a standout project that marries advanced life-science facilities with sustainability and urban connectivity and serves as a catalyst for growth in Watertown’s biotech landscape, offering premium lab and office space integrated with green design, energy innovation, and tenant-focused amenities. Sentech engineered, manufactured and supplied the structural glass entrance facade.

Sentech Architectural Systems’ striking glass façade defines the building’s prominent street corner with two expansive VetraFin-T Series structural glass walls. These 22-ft structural glass walls wrap the north and west facades at varying heights to create a transparent, inviting edge to this state-of-the-art life science hub. Precision-engineered stainless-steel toggles and vertical steel fins achieve a clean, frameless look, while high-performance low-iron insulated glass maximizes daylight and energy efficiency. The result is a bold, contemporary statement that enhances the public realm, connects interior spaces to the surrounding streetscape, and underscores the building’s LEED Gold commitment to innovation and sustainability. This corner facade reads as a modern, sculptural moment at the intersection, with an angular, glass-forward lobby. The result is a clean, technical aesthetic that maximizes daylight, frames views to the river, and gives the corner a strong civic presence while meeting stringent lab-building performance requirements.

“66 Galen demonstrates how commercial real estate can lead in sustainability by integrating renewable energy solutions…this project sets a new benchmark for sustainable development, showing how clean energy infrastructure attracts forward-thinking businesses while driving decarbonization.”

– Jared Haines, CEO of Catalyze

About 40% of the site is dedicated to green space and the building is LEED Gold certified and was among the first in the region to integrate clean energy solutions at scale. This integrated approach not only supports environmental goals but has also garnered the project recognition as a Top Project of the Year in the Environmental Impact category by Environment + Energy Leader Awards. See our previous 66 Galen progress post here.

Positioned at the gateway to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Wills Wharf is a shimmering gem in the heart of Maryland and a testament to Baltimore’s rich maritime legacy and culture. Embracing the contemporary, this 12-story, LEED Gold certified, mixed-use building offers more than 330,000 SF of premier office and hotel space, providing gorgeous waterfront views of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Designed by local architect BHC Architects, and constructed by Armada Hoffler, the 27-acre Harbor Point is one of the most prominent waterfront developments on the East Coast, and has roots firmly planted in Baltimore’s industrial past while forging a bold new identity as a forward-thinking, sustainable urban hub. A former manufacturing site that remained undeveloped and unused for years, Harbor Point is transforming Baltimore’s newest waterfront neighborhood- seamlessly blending office, retail, residences, hotels, and an unprecedented amount of green space into a dynamic new extension of the city.

Completed in 2020 and exclusive to Wills Wharf, Baltimore’s first Canopy by Hilton hotel sits on the top four floors of Wills Wharf with a waterfront lobby located directly facing the waterfront promenade. The Canopy hotel’s glass façade entry utilizes Sentech’s VetraFin-G system and over 3,000 square feet of structural glass fin façade, featuring triple laminated glass fins and oversized, low-iron high-performance face glass with a triple silver low-e coating. The elegant, open façade spans 60’ long and 23’ high, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior and offering limitless views of the surrounding harbor.

Completed in March, 2023, the newly opened Emory Health Sciences Research Building II (HSRB II) was created to be a “trailblazing space designed to incite better collaborations and bigger impacts in biomedical research”, and is an extension of Emory’s mission to advance research across its Woodruff Health Sciences Center. The 8-story high-performance, sustainably-designed structure houses collaborative research spaces and laboratories, along with an innovation zone for startups and entrepreneurial research.

The full-height, suspended, 6-story VetraFin-S structural glass entrance wall at the heart of the atrium is supported by a specialty concealed truss at the roof level, allowing natural light to permeate the atrium and create a sense of openness and connection.

A core focus of the design team, the 6-story, central atrium not only connects old and new, but was a critical element in supporting campus-wide sustainability initiatives, reducing energy consumption, and achieving LEED Gold Certification. Designed by architecture firm HOK, the firm leveraged creative sustainable design strategies that included utilizing natural daylight, automated shading and the use of solar panels, a geothermal well field, and a rainwater capture system. These strategies, combined, reduces the building’s embodied carbon by 5-10%.

The soaring 6-story structural glass entrance wall at the heart of the atrium was designed, engineered and supplied by Sentech. The suspended façade allows natural light to permeate the atrium and create a sense of openness and connection. The prominent full-height façade is supported by a specialty concealed truss at the roof level and features Sentech’s VetraFin-S System, which uses hidden glass support connections connected to steel mullions and bird-friendly glass. The operable panels at the base – designed and manufactured by Sentech – are actuated by the fire alarm system and are designed to open and release smoke in a fire event.

Completed in 2022, Tysons Central Building A – the gateway to the “Tysons of Tomorrow” – is a 20-story, next-generation, world-class development located just off the Greensboro Metro Station in the heart of Tysons, Virginia. Gensler designed the 388,000 Square-foot mixed-use building, featuring 12 stories of next-generation office space, 19,000 feet of retail space, and eight levels of above-grade parking. Sustainability, openness, and the health and safety of occupants were key criteria in the building design, and the state-of-the-art building is both LEED Gold Certified and WELL Health-Safety rated. Tysons Central was meticulously planned to identify and provide what tenants seek in a modern workplace- one that enhances daily life in a first-class setting through world-class design, on-site amenities and modern efficiencies.

Integration and transparency went hand-in-hand during design and system development, leading to the selection of a dramatic 3-story insulated glass entrance façade that wraps around the lobby and follows the steps that run down the northside, westwards and onto the Metro Station. Designed, engineered and supplied by Sentech, the 2 structural glass walls utilize Sentech’s VetraFin-G system with over 37-foot full-height glass fins that support more than 110 insulated face panels.

“Rather than deliver contextual buildings that become old news from the second they’re completed, architects have an opportunity to design buildings that inject energy into their surroundings and engage the community in these new urban areas. If done right, the object building can weave together form, materials and program to tell a compelling story and be a contributing factor in the brand statement of the new urban town.”
– Jordan Goldstein, Gensler D.C.

Sentech’s dead-loaded, fully transparent system cascades down the stairwell from 3 stories above, creating a sense of integration and connection between interior and exterior. The façade rises to varying heights at the north elevation, from 15-feet up to over 37-feet in height at the base, totaling over 3,300 square-feet of low-iron, tempered, laminated structural glass. This purist structural glass system uses structural silicone connections between the glass fins and the insulated façade to eliminate the need for spider fittings and drilled holes in the façade. This allowed Sentech to design with and provide insulated glass with a high performance soft coat low-e coating, which resulted in improved thermal performance and maximum transparency.

The unique cascading design posed challenges during the design and engineering phase. Since the base of the wall is not flat, the design had to be segmented to accommodate the geometry of the stairs- that meant designing and manufacturing varying lengths and shapes of glass and elements of the perimeter structure. The supports also had to be hidden along the stairway length, which was complicated by the fact that the stairs are supporting the dead-loaded system.

Elegant, transparent, sustainable, inviting and dynamic, the new gateway to the Tysons of Tomorrow invites a new generation of professionals to redefine and elevate their modern workplace through the use of structural glass.

Located in Bowie, Maryland, the Bowie State University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Communication Arts & Humanities Building opened its doors in late 2024. Imagined as an educational hub to connect students and faculty across various disciplines and fields of study, the facility was designed to inspire collaboration, interaction and imagination. The building houses the Department of Communication, History and Government, Language, Literature and Cultural Studies and Military Science (ROTC). Global architecture firm Perkins+Will thoughtfully designed this 192,000 square foot building to provide an abundance of natural daylight and collaborative spaces, and to serve as a space that would amplify the power of voice and self-expression. The building houses a 1,500 seat auditorium, two radio and television studios, a ROTC plaza, an amphitheater, and more.

The design mandate focused on visibility, connectivity, and storytelling to make the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center is an inclusive, welcoming space that every student, at some point in their curriculum, will pass through. A vocal waveform façade on the auditorium was inspired by the sound wave pattern of Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech from 1964, and glass façades on the north and south faces of the building give a sense of transparency and openness. The South entrance welcomes students and visitors alike with space to connect before and after events in the auditorium.

The structural glass façades at the north and south faces of the building were designed, engineered and supplied by Sentech Architectural Systems. The façades total approximately 11,207 square feet of structural glass and span over 48-ft tall. Sentech’s VetraFin T-Series system includes HSS carbon steel vertical interior fins and stainless-steel toggles. The VetraFin T-Series System is a highly efficient toggle connection system for façades with either full-height face glass or horizontal joints. The system allows for efficient field installation of glass units supported by glass fins, metal fins or steel trusses. This proprietary system offers unparalleled flexibility in design and finish options, offering simple lines, minimal connections and a unique look with no exterior hardware, bolts or plates. It can be used with monolithic, laminated or insulated glass.

“From its façade, inspired by the vocal inflections of Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, to its cutting-edge performance and learning facilities, this building is poised to become a transformative space for students and the campus community.”
– BSU President Aminta H. Breaux

Soaring, open and welcoming, the VetraFin-T façades and the holistic building design brings to life the desire for connection, inflection, empowerment and a sense of openness that honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bowie State’s powerful history as a diverse institution that embodies empowerment, justice, equity, love, and community.

The Department of Veterans Affairs – Pittsburgh dedicated this 194,850-sf, five-story Consolidation Building in 2012 to provide ease of access to comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services and acts as a modern addition to the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System on the University Drive campus. Designed by Astorino (with HDR as associate architect) and constructed by P.J. Dick, Inc., this centralized hub-and-spoke main entrance connects the existing acute care hospital, business service area, emergency room, new 1,500-space parking garage and almost 200,000 sq-ft Consolidation Building. The main entrance atrium is crowned with a vaulted structural glass self-supporting roof – a Specialty Overhead Structural Glass Application that was designed, engineered and supplied by Sentech Architectural Systems. The insulated glass skylight highlights the architecturally exposed structural aluminum tubular framing support designed in a triangulated geometry and the sloped, point-supported structural glazing system, with vertical, point-supported structural glazing system and accessory work. Stainless steel fittings withstand movements of the supporting structure for all environmental conditions in the Northeastern United States.

The Veterans Affairs’ design mandate was to flood the lobby with natural daylight, creating a bright and welcoming environment for patients, visitors, and staff. This design not only enhances aesthetic appeal but aligns with the building’s overall focus on healing architecture and energy efficiency. The Consolidation Building is registered for LEED-NC V2.2 certification with the U.S. Green Building Council. The design includes expansive use of natural finish materials including wood wall coverings and stone and terrazzo flooring.

The LEED Gold certified Tinkham Veale University Center and its panoramic, double-skin glass façade is the newest addition to Case Western Reserve University’s Campus, spanning 89,000 square feet. Unifying the campus physically and philosophically through its grandeur and iconic design, it sits at the heart of the new campus and captures the spirit of its branding anthem, “Think Beyond The Impossible”. The stunning openness of this active glass façade makes the center feel like a bridge, rather than a barrier, between the east and west sides of the campus. Sustainability, energy efficiency and optimized performance were key factors in Perkins & Will’s design of the double-skin façade system. The team explored several options early-on in the design pr0cess to control solar heat and light gain, and multiple system types and configurations were studied to determine cost-effectiveness, durability and function- including an extensive exploration into airflow through the double-skin cavity. Since passive ventilation was not a workable option, the 3-foot wide cavity between the exterior monolithic façade and the interior insulated glass façade uses mechanical ventilation to control the transfer of heat, while allowing for ease of maintenance. Utilizing Sentech’s VetraFin G-Series System, the final combination of architectural elements served to meet all of the project’s energy, functional and aesthetic goals while allowing for complete transparency and a structural glass solution that serves to minimize energy usage in both winter and summer seasons.

In 2016, architecture firm Lehman Smith McLeish designed the renovation of this sprawling, 285,000 square foot, Class A office space located in the heart of Washington D.C. As part of the renovation, Sentech was engaged to develop a structural glass fin solution for the building’s 2-story lobby. The ensuing design utilized Sentech’s VetraFin G-Series System– an elegant glass fin façade system that spans freely from head to sill using full height glass fins and façade panels, and with no exposed fittings. Elegant and welcoming to visitors, this glass fin wall measures 21-feet tall by 54-feet foot wide. It also features oversized, low-iron jumbo glass panels that are supported along the vertical edges. The stresses on the glass were kept extremely low by transferring the stresses from fin to fin, even with a floating header application as part of the façade’s entrance system. This floor-to-ceiling, single span glass application opens to the building’s newly renovated lobby, and as a result, allows natural light to flood the entrance and maximize transparency- all while using the glass as structure.