First Tower, First Impressions

The first phase of Shamrock’s corporate campus, completed in 2020, included the eight-story, 265,000-square-foot Tower I plus a one-story building with 30,000 square feet of enclosed, connecting space.
 
Architectural Systems, Inc. (ASI) supplied the shop drawings and third-party fabrication Shamrock Tower I’s Tubelite framing systems. For this first phase, glazing contractor Structural Glass Systems installed Tubelite’s pre-glazed curtain wall, storefront and doors.
 
 Multiple Viracon VRE glass products with low-e coatings and in clear, blue and gray hues were fabricated into IGUs. These were glazed into the Tubelite aluminum framing system, meeting the necessary climate conditions and building codes.

For Tower I, clear glass lites were specified for most of the building, including its segmented walls, at the center core and on the eighth floor. Also on the eighth floor, Tubelite terrace doors open onto an exterior patio in the southwest corner. Blue glass was used at the corners, adding visual interest to the exterior. Gray glass was used for Tubelite storefront and Standard Medium Stile Entrance doors at the ground level and the low-rise connecting concourse.
 
 On the north and south facades of each tower, LED light blades are vertically integrated with the curtain wall and offer programmable light effects. Tubelite’s team worked with ASI on the details and commissioned custom dies to create the desired blade profile for these decorative metal elements.
 
 Behind Shamrock Tower I and II, Tubelite framing, finished by Linetec, with glass by Viracon, also was chosen for the parking garages’ enclosed staircases and installed by Structural Glass Systems.
 

Second Tower Symmetry, Improved Performance

On the newly opened Shamrock Tower II’s 12-story, 329,400-square-foot office building, Tubelite aluminum framing systems, Viracon clear and blue glass, and Linetec finishing provided design symmetry between the two towers.
 
 Tower II used clear glass for its center core and segmented walls, and blue glass to highlight the corners. This high-performance, low-e coated glass also balances natural daylight with energy performance. Part of the IGUs on Tower II Viracon Thermal Spacer (VTS®) replaces the traditional spacer, desiccant and primary sealant with a single, better-performing component.
 
 The IGUs with Viracon glass and VTS were incorporated into Tubelite’s thermally broken framing systems, optimizing thermal performance with low U-values and achieving high condensation resistance. Glazing contractor AGP fabricated and installed the unitized Tubelite 400SS SG Curtain Wall and Therml=Block® Medium Stile Entrance doors throughout Tower II.

“Both glaziers wanted a pre-glazed, unitized approach,” noted Urich. “Shamrock Tower I features a first-generation of the curtain wall design as a hybrid, partially unitized system with exterior face caps. Tower II is the jewel; it’s a fully unitized, thermally broken system.”
 
 Both curtain wall systems were shop-glazed and have a concealed, screw-spline construction emphasizing the buildings’ smooth, monolithic style.
 

Dependable, Unitized Curtain Wall

As confirmed on Shamrock Tower II, Tubelite 400SS SG Curtain Wall allows for faster installation by pre-glazing it as a unitized system in the shop. Pressure plates and face caps also can be pre-installed when shop-glazing, saving additional time on the jobsite. This Tubelite curtain wall also has an outside-glazed pressure-plate system, available in captured and structural-glazed configurations. The horizontal member minimizes splice requirements, while accommodating expansion/contraction clearances.
 
 Tubelite 400SS SG Curtain Wall’s aluminum framing members have a 2-1/2-inch face and 7-1/2-inch depth. Its glass bite securely grips the 1-inch-thick IGUs on Shamrock’s global headquarters. The glass is positioned to the system exterior improving resistance to rainwater. The curtain wall also meets ASTM and AAMA industry standards for air, water, structural, acoustical and seismic performance. For Shamrock’s buildings, the framing also was steel-reinforced with consideration for the strong wind load.
 
 Complementing the curtain wall, Tubelite entrances are engineered for compatibility, further supporting their ease of installation. The doors’ steel tie-rod frame construction enhances their future serviceability and is backed with a lifetime warranty. The durability and adaptability of these tie-rod doors mean that worn or damaged components can be repaired and replaced without having to install an entire new door.
 

Durable, Dual-Finished Framing

Accentuating Shamrock’s East Campus modern aesthetic and an enduring positive impression, the Bell/Knot architectural team selected high-performance architectural finishes in a Silver Gray color. Linetec finished all the aluminum framing members, face caps, vertical fins and doors for Tubelite in 70% PVDF resin-based, architectural coating.
 
 As a single source solution for architectural finishing, Linetec also provided the thermal breaks and insulating barriers in Tubelite’s aluminum-framed curtain wall, storefront and Tower II entrance systems. The aluminum framing members’ exterior and interior surfaces must be separated to reduce energy transfer. This thermal break not only contributes to energy-efficient building envelopes, but it also improves condensation resistance and acoustic performance for comfortable interior spaces.
 
 Projects that choose thermally broken aluminum framing systems manufactured using polyamide thermal strips can benefit from Linetec’s dual finishing capabilities. This offers design flexibility and economic advantages to specify different finishes on the exterior and interior.

For Shamrock Tower II, the Tubelite curtain wall on floors 2 through 12 are finished on the exterior in Silver Gray and the interiors are finished in a Class I clear anodize. Both industry-leading finishes meet the highest performance standards – AAMA 2605 for painted coatings and AAMA 611 for anodized coatings. After their long lifespan on the building, the aluminum framing and components can be recycled.

The high-performance Tubelite curtain wall with Viracon glass and Linetec finishing contributed to a visually attractive, energy-efficient building envelope for Shamrock’s global headquarters. On the interior, the glass and framing systems support comfortable, healthy spaces.

Within its new, modern corporate campus, up to 1,000 employees support Shamrock’s transportation services, finance and technology brands including Ryan Transportation, RTS Financial, RTS International, RTS Carrier Services and ProTransport. The company continues to expand its employee base to serve its customers’ growing needs.