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.