‘Bris Soleil’ Curtain Wall System Was No Breeze To Design
The design of the Seattle Art Museum’s so-called bris soleil curtain wall system, with movable stainless steel panels to block out light, is called the hairiest part of the 1.3-million-sq-ft WaMu Center-SAM Downtown expansion. To the art museum, the curtain wall is the distinguishing element between the museum and the office tower.
To others, it presented the biggest headache. That’s because it went through several design iterations and a 30% size reduction, mostly to reduce its cost. The changes would affect the structure it attaches to and the design of the museum’s mechanical system, with which it works to control the interior environment.