We wish to bring your attention to an old work colleague of Quantity Surveying Consultants Ltd and his new and very interesting book.
Back in the 2000’s, one of the biggest projects in Thailand was the new Bangkok international airport, known as Suvarnabhumi International Airport Bangkok. Quantity Surveying Consultants Ltd was employed for three years by the Main Terminal Facade subcontractor, KAMA JV, and during those years we got to know Mic Patterson, then of ASI International and now of Enclos. We are sure many of our readers will know or know of Mic, and it was a pleasure for us to spend time working with Mic.
Mic’s book, available in all good bookshops and online bookshops (Amazon, etc), is:
Structural Glass Facades and Enclosures: A Vocabulary of Transparency
By Mic Patterson
Published by John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Structural Glass Facades and Enclosures: A Vocabulary of Transparency is a comprehensive guide to structural glass facades for architects, engineers, and builders. Once an experimental building form, structural glass facades have matured into a fully robust technology. Structural Glass Facades and Enclosures documents, defines, and categorizes the current state of the art in long–span glass facade design and construction, with a focus on structural systems, glass cladding options, and implementation strategies for innovative design. A comparative analysis of these various systems is included, along with designs and design practices for enhancing transparency; engineering issues; material, process, and fabrication considerations; installation means and methods; and project delivery strategies for implementing innovative building technology in today′s construction marketplace.
The reader will find information here that is not available together in any single resource, including:
- Structural system types and design options, with integrated glass system options and their application on each of the structural types
- An in–depth discussion of design, fabrication, and installation issues relative to each system type, accompanied by illustrations and photographs
- A discussion of the challenges of implementing innovative design and technology in the construction industry, and operational practices to improve the probability of success
- A series of in–depth case studies documenting representative samples of stunning built works that employ the technology and design principles identified in the book
Of particular interest to our readers in Thailand will be Chapter 9 of the book, titled ‘Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport (SBIA), Main Terminal Building (MTB) Facade Bangkok Thailand’. Its 12 pages explain the facade works in great details and amongst the various companies that were involved. The main terminal façade envelope of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is 1140 meters in length and seven stories high, making it currently the largest glass wall structure in the World today.
Structural Glass Facades and Enclosures provides expert content for putting cutting–edge technology into real–life practice, creating new potential for fresh applications embracing both aesthetic and performance solutions, and for the adoption of the technology by architects, builders, and facade practitioners.
Structural Glass Facades and Enclosures: A Vocabulary of Transparency is written by an ex-work colleague of Strudyna and Kinzi, Mic Patterson. Mic founded ASI Advanced Structures Inc in 1991, the firm that pioneered the introduction of advanced façade technology in the US marketplace. Enclos, a leading global curtain wall firm, acquired ASI in 2007. Mic has subsequently participated in the establishment of the Advanced Technology Studio of Enclos, a façade think-tank located in downtown Los Angeles, where he works as the Director of Strategic Development.
