®How very appropriate it is to have a project called “The Nest” with a bird-friendly approach as a key element of the design.
The Nest is an eye-catching nine-story condominium complex designed by Bernardo Cascone at Raw Design, with a unique and alluring style. The structure enables the occupant to have incredible views from their condo – some call it “a birds eye view” –of downtown. Integrated into the design is a high performance bird protective glazing.
First things first, Cascone’s design emphasis was centered on the unique glass look of the building.
“The glass on the building was intended to provide all the functional features like view, light, air, weather barrier, bird protection, etc., that glass windows must. However, we hoped for a beautiful employment of the material by dramatically framing the glass with the opaque boxes. We felt this approach served to break down and diversify the relations between both wall and window in a novel way” stated Bernardo Cascone.
The municipal building standard requires that structures be designed with bird collision deterrence regulations in mind. Cascone was able to adhere to these regulations by specifying the AviProtek® T line – a choice that also allowed him to meet his lofty design goals.
“Previous projects tended to utilize the dot pattern as an economical satisfaction of the bird protection by-law requirement. Since the volumes at The Nest are horizontally arranged, the horizontal bird protection pattern seemed to resonate with our design.”
Walker Glass is no stranger to the bird protective glazing world, with projects all over North America featuring their distinctive patterns. For The Nest condos the vision glass and the railings all have the Custom T patterns permanently applied to the glass. Steve Morren, Director of Architectural Services at Walker Glass provided more insight on the glass choice.
“Through extensive research and development, as well as working with world renowned experts in the bird friendly field, Walker designed a product that follows the “2×4 Rule” and that has been successfully tested in field experiments by Dr. Daniel Klem, Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology at Muhlenberg College.
The UV markers on this product are hardly noticeable to the human eye but are picked up by birds, giving them the visibility they need to avoid collisions. So we are able to save bird’s lives while at the same time providing architects with an aesthetic solution that can be used on high end projects like The Nest.”
The glass added a dramatic appeal to the overall project. Cascone noted that the street presence of the exterior forms and colors were his favorite part of the project.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the enrichment of the experience of discovery when going from the exterior, where the glass pattern is very subtle, to inside where the pattern is more apparent.”
About Raw Design from Bernardo Cascone
“We have an egalitarian and irreverent office ethos. So while we take design seriously, ourselves not so much. This means we have a lively workplace that rewards the inquisitive and experimental and believe this is reflected in our work which is very diverse. We have had the honor of being recognized for many of our mid-rise mixed-use developments and are practiced at satisfying their functional requirements and regulations.”
RAW is one of Toronto’s most vibrant and respected architectural and design studios. Cited as the 2009 Ontario Best Emerging Practice we possess an international design sensibility and wisdom combined with a wealth of recent local experience. The RAW portfolio includes the successful completion of many significant and landmark structures and our ongoing work includes many buildings set to become benchmarks for design excellence. Based in Toronto, our partners in Abu Dhabi, Delhi & Mumbai expand our reach into Asia & the Middle East.
About Walker Glass
Walker Glass is the North American market leader in decorative glazing substrates, most notably stock sheet acid etch glass and mirror products. Through seven decades, Walker Glass has grown, evolved and constantly adapted to an ever-changing business environment. While many things have changed over the decades, the most important things have remained constant. Adherence to our mission and remaining true to our core values are the trusted foundations of the Walker Glass of yesterday, today and the decades to come.
