Architects selected a parking façade from New York-based Bendheim for the recent major upgrade of Kansas City International Airport (MCI).
A completely new air terminal for Kansas City opened on February 28, replacing two structures dating back to 1972. The extensive modernisation effort also included a new seven-storey parking structure. Over 2 million square feet in size, the building provides parking for 6,219 vehicles. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill served as principal architects for the overall project, named "Build KCI". The Kansas City-based firm of BNIM took the lead on the parking facility, in a design-build partnership with general contractor JE Dunn.
Bendheim joined this effort from the design stage, collaborating with its partner LängleGlas to create custom-engineered fastening systems for the parking facility's ventilated façade. Bendheim ultimately provided over 50,000 sq ft of tempered and laminated glass for the project.
As a trained architect, Bendheim vice president for sales and innovation Said Elieh was able to contribute to essential planning work before construction began. "Having someone on the Bendheim side that understands the design vision we're trying to achieve, but then can bring that technical capacity on the manufacturer side to help realise that conceptual vision, is important," said Joshua Harrold, associate principal at BNIM. “I think Bendheim has been a great collaborator in that respect.” Bendheim's previous experience with the design of parking structure façades on this scale includes 1 South Halsted/727 West Madison in Chicago, Illinois, and the Mueller Parking Structure in Austin, Texas.
Form and function
Glass façades can provide an aesthetically pleasing exterior for parking structures while also providing cost-effective natural ventilation. At KCI, the "shingled" design of the façade creates pockets of air that slide between the glass panels, creating airflow in and out of the garage, according to Bendheim.
The sheer size and weight of the glass panels, most as large as 6ft x 14ft and each weighing 800+ pounds, called for a carefully designed attachment system. Bendheim and LängleGlas designed and manufactured custom vertical compression clip systems for the project, allowing a costly steel substructure to be eliminated from the design. The 14ft-long clips support the length and weight of each panel while accommodating construction tolerances, live load movement, wind loads, and expansion joints.
With a price tag of $1.5bn, Build KCI constitutes the largest infrastructure project in the region's history.
Image: Bendheim
