Vitro Certified^TM Newsletter

70 Rainey

The glass block of living units at 70 Rainey are 110 feet above street level and shift 14 degrees, affording panoramic views of the city.

Austin, Texas  

Project Background 

Ranked as the number one preferred U.S. market by commercial real estate giant CBRE in their 2021 Investor Survey, growth in Austin, Texas, is outpacing available housing.

In an attempt to help fill the gap and support the growth of the popular Rainey Historic District in downtown Austin, Sackman Enterprises embarked upon a four-year project to build 164 condos in a uniquely-shaped 34-story tower with a parking garage base, large outdoor-indoor 10th and 11th floor amenity deck, and a glass block of living units rising from concrete columns.

Whereas the historic district was traditionally single-family homes, Rainey was rezoned as a central business district back in 2006. Following the conversion of bungalows and backyards into bars and restaurants, Rainey emerged as a vibrant entertainment district. In line with the taller buildings going up in the neighborhood, 70 Rainey sought to continue raising the bar for design and amenities.

In selecting the right glass for the apartment block, which shifts 14 degrees above the 28,000 sq. ft. amenity deck, the architect Page Southerland Page performed an extensive search.

“Glazing selection on tall buildings is one of the most complicated design decisions we face today in needing to navigate both energy codes, aesthetics and environmental performance,” explains Joshua Coleman, AIA, LEED^® AP, principal/design, Page Southerland Page, Austin. “After our wide search looking at all products on the market, we arrived at Solarban^® R100 glass based on its ability to perform incredibly well in Texas’ strong sun conditions without inducing glare or other negative urban effects.”

Solar heat gain was a significant concern as well, leading the team to carefully analyze several combinations of window-to-wall-ratio, glazing types and geometry to best mitigate these negative effects. However, too much opacity would have sacrificed views, so the glazing had to offer clarity and very high performance. This was key as the condos were strategically located 110 feet above street level, away from the city power line, to afford residents 360-degree panoramic views of Lady Bird Lake, East Austin and the local Colorado River.

Solarban^® R100 solved the issue. In fact, Coleman rates the glass as one of the best solar heat gain coefficients (SHGCs) on the market without aesthetic tradeoffs, or being overly reflective, too dark or tinted. Because the design angles the primary tower, this allows the west façade to take on less direct solar heat.

Solarban^® R100 glass offers an appearance similar to clear glass in both color and reflectance. When combined in a 1-inch insulating glass unit (IGU) with clear glass, it has a SHGC of 0.23 and visible light transmittance of 43%.

For the project, the architect specified unbalanced insulating glass for the large 5 ft. by 9 ft. glazed panels, with some variations in size and proportion. The thicker outer pane and thinner inner pane vibrate at differing speeds and help deflect noise from the highway.

The luxury condos themselves feature white oak plank floors, neutral wood veneer cabinet options, opulent brass hardware. And the extensive amenity deck houses 50 types of native plant species, two pools, a gym, dog park, fire pit and a yoga deck.

For the amenity deck levels, Page’s design incorporates predominantly horizontal proportioned windows as compared to the typical apartment windows with vertical proportions. “This affords better views to the city skyline and lake beyond. Fortunately, the glazing selection was the same for both tower and amenity deck floors allowing us to maintain aesthetic consistency throughout these key areas,” says Coleman.

Situated in a dense urban environment, Solarban^® R100 glass also prevented any glare from reflecting onto neighboring buildings. “Keeping reflectivity in check was not only important for the exterior design, but also necessary at night so the interior lighting reflections don't overpower the views out,” adds Coleman.

Assisted by the efforts of the project’s glazier, Seattle-based Win-Con, and fabricator New Braunfels, Texas-based Northwestern Industries, the sleek tower earned a gold 2020 Multi-Housing News Excellence Award for the Best Development & Design in the High-Rise category and an Honor award from the Society of American Registered Architects in its 2020 Celebration of Architecture and Design.

Reflecting on the project, Coleman concludes, 70 Rainey “signaled that good, responsible development and design could co-exist in this pedestrian friendly, energetic district yet still provide the density desired by so many who now call Austin home.”

The 34-story 70 Rainey residential tower in Austin features wall-to-ceiling Solarban^® R100 glass and a high level of protection against solar heat gain without sacrificing daylighting and views.

To learn more about Solarban^® R100 glass or to find a member of the Vitro Certified™ Network, visit vitroglazings.com or call 1-855-VTRO-GLS (887-6457).

2022 Vitro Architectural Glass. All rights reserved. Solarban^® is a registered trademark owned by Vitro. Vitro Certified™ is a trademark owned by Vitro. LEED^® —an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council.