The complexity of a singularly unique envelope

The façade details required the customized production of all the glazed parts and their allied metal components, a feat that required almost a full year’s work. Since each floor of the luxury residential development is unique, the curtain walls on each of the 12 slightly off set levels vary slightly, requiring one-off design and production. Although the technical solutions were not necessarily different, this was certainly not the case for the size requirements of the panels, glass sliding doors, balustrades, handrails and windows. There was no repeating standard dimension over the entire building.

The intention of the architect was to make the environment part of the living experience, so large operable, fully glazed sliding doors were designed for the living rooms facing the Victoria Harbour to be moved aside like curtains. The huge sliding glazed doors opening out onto balconies overlooking the bay are some 1.5 m x 1.5 m x 3 m (5 x 5 x 9.8 ft). Never before manufactured, every single component was completely produced in-house to the highest standards of water and wind resistance. Components included: the sliding doors, hardware for the lift-site operation, the aluminum frames, gutter, roller blinds. A further challenge presented by these extensive stretches of glazing was their curvature. This required ad hoc study to define the extremely fine tolerances required for correct assembly of the curved IGU glass in their frames. A total of about 2,500 sqm (26,900 sq ft) of custom-made sliding doors (mainly curved) and straight façades were designed, produced and installed. The transparency of the glass walls is balanced by the introduction of solid screens on limited locations of the façade to ensure privacy for residents.
Another outstanding feature of the Opus project is the external steel structural columns. They form a highly characteristic visible exoskeleton of the glazed part of the building. Inclined to follow the twisting façade, the columns are strikingly clad in panels of curved transparent glass, designed by the architect to give the building its iconic appearance reminiscent of the bamboo depicted in Chinese paintings. As well as allowing maximum flexibility to the interior residential layout, these structural ‘reeds’ accentuate the sinuous tapering of the building as it rises - fragile bamboo canes enveloped in protective glass, contrasting to great effect with an imposing steel structure, yet able to withstand the forces unleashed by tropical storms. The curved glass panels cladding the outer metal structural columns demanded curvatures that put manufacturing capability to the test. 1.8 x 4.2 m (6 x 13.7 ft) laminated glass panels with a curvature of some 435 mm (17 1/8”) were produced to cover a total surface area of 2,140 m2 (23,000 sq ft). Designed and manufactured especially for Opus, the brackets connecting the panels to each other, and the panels to the columns, did not require perforation of any glazed surface.

As well as the huge stretches of curved operable glazing, the building façade also has a series of box windows placed in the masonry sections of the building facing south-east and north-east. Other features of this side of the building include skylights and straight and curved balustrades. A signature feature of Gehry Partners’ architecture, these box windows are vertically aligned on the stone-clad sections of the façade, forming an acute angle with the nearby wall. These kitchen, back bedroom and service area windows comprise 8-2-8 mm (5/16-1/16-5/16”) stratified safety glass in aluminum frames, and cover a total surface area of 243 sqm (2,600 sq ft). Although more classical in style, they still ensure splendid framed views of the outside, giving the sensation of being projected into the natural environment all around.
Another characteristic feature is the 566 sqm (6,100 sq ft) of shingle wall cladding. Inclined and slightly offset between the floors, they cover the wall surfaces connecting the masonry sections to the parts containing the glazed façades. Further architectural features include skylights, a roof canopy, the podium areas, and some 800 sqm (8,600 sq ft), and 210 sqm (2,260 sq ft) straight and curved balustrades.