There are few cities in the United States that have gone through more trauma in recent years than Flint, Michigan. Decades back Flint thrived as an automotive manufacturing hub. Then times changed. More recently it made worldwide headlines with its water quality crisis.
So it’s GREAT to see the ongoing awesome, beautiful, stunning (pick any upbeat adjective) renovation of the Sloan Museum of Discovery – formerly the Sloan Museum. Located in the Flint Cultural Center, the venue captures the important contributions of Flint to American history, and so much more.
And it’s EVEN GREATER to be part of the renovation!
Thanks to Calvin & Company, a premier glazier with whom we’ve shared success at many venues, we were given the opportunity to add new excitement – both outside and inside the museum. In doing so, we fulfilled the vision for dramatic glass accents by architect Haizlip Studios.
First, we added exclamation points for eleven windows and the main entrance, fabricating exterior point-supported glass fins in 13/16ths clear laminated Guardian Glass. The fins feature a 100% coverage frit, color-matched in a patina hue to other building elements.
Second, we delivered a point-supported glass canopy for the main entrance. It featured fritted 3/8-on-3/8 inch laminated glass, decorated in a white pattern. Finally, we provided a point-supported glass accent wall, also with a frit. The point-supports for all these architectural systems attach to spider fittings, all in stainless.
Moving inside, more deliverables! G+MC fabricated three glass accent walls for the interior of the museum. Two 400-square foot walls of 9/16ths laminated Guardian glass feature frit patterns. A 210 foot wall of 9/16th clear Guardian glass with a frosted inner layer graces the museum lobby. The two display walls are point-supported. The lobby wall sits within a stainless brush shoe.
It was truly special to be part of the energy surrounding this venue, and it was also fun to work with Calvin. Moreover, we enjoyed working with two of our featured partners – Guardian, and SADEV USA, who we teamed with to deliver the stainless support hardware.
They say “love what you do for a living and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Never more true than on this project.
