The Edgar N. Putnam Pavilion is a glazed extension to the James A. Michener Art Museum, and is situated in a courtyard surrounded by a sculpture garden. The special feature of the design lies in the transparent nature of the pavilion.
The glass walls, designed without any additional supporting structure, are executed in insulated glazing using white glass. The 24-foot tall, 6-foot wide insulating glass panels are clamped at the base into stainless steel brackets in order to reduce deflection under wind loads. At the top, the panels are retained using sliding point bearings in order to accommodate the movements in the existing roof structure under wind and earthquake loads. For the assembly of what are so far the tallest self-supporting insulating glass panels ever installed in the USA, the Roschmann Group used a specially developed glazing suction system that allowed the enormous 3,527 pound weight of each panel to be maneuvered safely and reliably.
