This latest iteration of structural glass design provides the purest form possible within the limits of current material fabrication. Clear glazed single panel walls with no connections to distract the eye, 10m long by 3m high on four sides, provide an efficient structural form capable of resisting seismic loads, while providing total transparency and architectural purity.

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​The lightweight ultra-thin roof made of CFRP panels (carbon fibre reinforced polymers) seamlessly joined on site, provides a completely smooth uniform soffit while also improving the seismic performance of the whole structure. In such a minimalist project the detailing required particular attention, the result being a total absence of fixings, with the five panels being held together by structural silicone.

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The Zorlu Glass Lantern project won the Supreme Award for structural engineering excellence as well as the category of best Retail/Commercial project at the Structural Awards 2014 in London.
 

Judge's comment: 

The judges found this to be a supreme example of collaboration between engineer and fabricator to achieve an outstanding, architecturally minimalist structure. The use of single panes of toughened laminated glass to support a lightweight ultra-thin CFRP roof without connections other than structural silicone, takes structural glass technology into a new dimension. A project where only engineering excellence and attention to detail can produce a result of such simplicity and purity of expression.

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​Images: © Gary Allen