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Seattle's new, 1.3 million-square-foot Rainier Square—a 59-story mixed-use skyscraper completed in September 2020—features “a gentle upward slope that performs almost like the architectural equivalent of a bow down to the older landmark.” Equipped with Viracon VXE1-61 insulating glass, the building transitions from a four-story retail podium on Fifth Avenue to 33 stories of office floors that diminish in size as they rise, topped by the even skinnier 20 stories of residential tower. According to the official property website, the 189 luxury apartment residences on its uppermost floors offer 360-degree unobstructed views.

The project consists of approximately 500,000 square feet of glass, featuring Viracon’s energy control application, VXE1-61. Viracon field sales associate Janda Bauman explained, “The architect was looking for a transparent glass but wanted some reflection, so the glass didn’t appear flat. The entrance of the building has a concave glass wall and even in this extreme viewing condition, the glass is incredibly flat.”

Architect Magazine described how the project fit within the city’s façade density requirement, the ratio of transparency to opacity. “A modular panel system was designed to adjust accordingly, with three types of metal “prisms” creating an ephemeral, shifting effect as light interacts with the façade throughout the day. Moreover, the glass targets energy performance 7.5% above Seattle Energy Code requirements, which are already some of the country’s most stringent, exceeding national standards by more than 11%.”

Designed by NBBJ, the development was designed to be “an urban catalyst that attracts top-tier businesses and new residents and visitors to the center of downtown, reinvigorating the pedestrian realm and bringing long-term value to the surrounding blocks.”