Award of Merit, Industrial: RioGlass Solar Manufacturing Plant

RioGlass Plant Brings European Solar Manufacturer to Surprise, Ariz.

Photo courtesy Howard S. Wright

An industrial-size porch is shaded by a 60-ft-wide concrete canopy and accented by colorful glass columns.

Manufacturing mirrored-glass reflectors to be used in solar powerplants, this $15-million, 160,000-sq-ft facility also serves as the U.S. headquarters for the Spanish firm RioGlass. Construction consisted of exterior concrete tilt-up wall panels and a structural steel frame with metal decking. The interior contains open manufacturing space and dedicated rooms for the high-temperature glass-tempering process, mirroring paint booths and research and development. Since all of the company's previous buildings were built in Europe, the team faced numerous issues, from metric conversion to acclimating to Arizona's hot climate. Visitors can cool off on the industrial-size porch shaded by a 60-ft-wide concrete canopy and accented by colorful glass columns.

Key Players

Contractor: Howard S. Wright, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Owner: RioGlass Solar, Surprise, Ariz.

Lead Design: Deutsch Architecture Group, Phoenix

Structural Engineer: PK Associates, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Civil Engineer: Hunter Engineering, Scottsdale, Ariz.
MEP: Air-Zona Systems Engineering, Phoenix
Submitted by Howard S. Wright - A Balfour Beatty Co.

Blair leads day-to-day operations of the ENR editorial team to ensure brand quality and further best practices. He spearheads ENR's various competitions, including Best Projects and the Award of Excellence, and organizes editorial content at events including the Top Young Professionals conference. A Jesse H. Neal, Construction Media Alliance and AZBEES-award-winning writer and videographer, Blair frequently contributes to ENR’s burgeoning video channel with project tour videos and interviews with industry leaders. He is also a frequent speaker and moderator on topics such as diversity and inclusion, design and jobsite technology, construction means and methods and marketing.