Project Description
The Belarusian Potash Company’s new headquarters features a SEFAR® Architecture Vision glass interlayer, offering occupants an unobstructed view of the outside world and producing a beautiful and soothing work environment. Inside and outside, the visually striking structure draws heavily on symbolism in its design.
The shining red atrium’s symbolic resonance stems from SEFAR Architecture Vision AL 250/25 fabric, laminated in UAB Glassbei Balti glass. The twill-woven fabric has a mesh opening of 55 percent and is coated with aluminum. The coating is digitally printed in red to mimic potash’s color.
The Belarusian Potash Company exports 33 percent of the world’s potash, and that substance’s components inspired its headquarters’ floor plan. Architects Varabyeu Partners designed the eight-story building to symbolize a crystal of sylvinite, the ore that comprises potash. Their vision culminates in a reflective and refractive structure with a fully-glazed façade. The design includes a full-height atrium, stylized as a crystal, that unites the building’s two wings.
A pattern of dented lines and sharp corners in its glass lamination produces a stunning shimmering pattern that blurs the boundaries between the building’s interior and the landscape around it.
“SEFAR Architecture Vision laminated glass combines aesthetic with function. It allows the façade to creatively mirror the building’s purpose, while creating a beautiful work environment,” says Peter Katcha, Director of North American Sales. “It is not only attractive, but it also offers functional benefits such as improved thermal performance and glare protection for those inside.”
For more information about SEFAR Architecture Vision, visit http://www.sefar.us/vision.
About SEFAR Architecture: SEFAR Architecture is a leading manufacturer of monofilament precision and ePTFE yarn fabrics and fabric systems for interior and exterior architectural applications. With comprehensive knowledge in textile architecture, Sefar has cooperated with experienced lighting technicians and polymer experts to develop a new generation of fabrics for the architectural and design community. For more information on SEFAR Architecture’s products and services, call Peter Katcha at 727-388-4919 or visit www.sefar.us.