My list of Best Buildings of 2019
The year’s end always brings “best of” lists and in our world, there are usually best building and project lists usually put out by architectural trade magazines. I went in search of those articles, found a few, and have to say I’m pretty bummed on the selections that some of the pubs made for “best” of the year. It was almost like they should name it “craziest” design of the year instead of best. Instead of those lists, here’s my top five buildings, in no order, of the year! (I am assuming these all were completed in 2019, and this is not a “formal” contest, though I am seriously tempted to start one!)
181 Fremont from Hartung Glass and Vitro
Beautiful building—classic!
NDIS Building from Glassworks Australia and Pleotint Suntuitive
Jaw dropping use of glass and frit.
SAP HQ in Frankfurt from Guardian Glass
Unique, and the glass looks fabulous.
Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal from Walker Glass
Love the cool look of the etch look—just stops you in your tracks.
Federal Office Building in Miramar, Florida, by Viracon
So much to look at here, and it’s all stunning.
Yes, it’s obvious I like buildings with glass, and these all do a great job utilizing it!
I’m sure I am missing others and if I catch them, I’ll post next week on my last blog of the year!
Elsewhere…
- Next week I will crown the 2019 Glass Industry MVP, and also name the runners up. Incredible candidates this year and thanks to all who reached out to nominate.
- Speaking of MVP, congrats to past MVP Tracy Rogers on his new position at Consolidated Glass Holdings. That was exciting to see and now maybe I can get Tracy to start reading this blog once in a while.
- Quick economic update: the latest webinar that I took in was from FMI and they too followed some of the same methodology that others this fall have. They also show the slow down coming soon in our segment but clearing into mid- next year. They did show positive health overall on the non-residential side, but their residential forecast was ugly. So that may not be good news for the commercial interest side in 2021/2022. We will see. The one thing they mentioned that others did not play up is the U.S. Presidential election and what the offshoot of that may be.
- One of my all-time favorite speakers is Mike Burk. He is responsible for one of the most memorable speeches ever given at BEC and every time out he never disappoints. I’m excited he’ll be doing the next “Thirsty Thursday” this week. Mike is handling “Preventing Scratches and Edge Damage” on 12/12 at 1 p.m. ET. Click here and sign up now.
- Really excited about the upcoming resources from the NGA. Check these topics out: crucial subjects getting covered here.
· Heavy Glass Door Design Guide, 20th anniversary edition
· Top 10 Items Commonly Missing from Fenestration System Shop Drawings
· Safety Guidelines for Deglazing Structural Silicone
· Design Considerations for Use of Sealants/Adhesives with Coated Glass and Adhesives Compatibility
· New abbreviated Thermal Stress in Heat-Treated Spandrel
· Marking and Labeling
· Protective Glazing 101 AIA presentation
- I saw on social media that my pal Andrew Haring of the NGA had a tour of the new football stadium in L.A. That place will be epic, and I was jealous he got some first-hand visibility of that structure. Speaking of new stadiums and tours, I am sincerely hoping that I’ll get to see the Vegas stadium when GlassBuild America comes to town in the fall. Love seeing how these mammoth projects come together!
- Last this week and also on the sports end, I saw that Steve Cohen is buying the New York Mets. It has to be the Steve Cohen at Vitro who is a friend of mine, right? Steve if it’s you, I am ready to go to work for the Mets… assistant to the Assistant GM? That’s all me. Steve, call me…
Read on for links and video of the week...
Max Perilstein is founder of Sole Source Consultants, a consulting firm for the building products industry that specializes in marketing, branding, communication strategy and overall reputation management, as well as website and social media, and codes and specifications. E-mail him at MaxP@SoleSourceConsultants.com.
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.
